Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts
by Gemini Star01
Summary: Kingdom HeartsFrontier crossover When his world is destroyed, Kouji must join forces with Sora to find his friends. But Kouichi has been taken by the Heartless, who seak the power of ten legendary weapons...
1. Prologe: Weird Thoughts

Digimon Frontier crossover with Kingdom Hearts, staring (mostly) Kouji. This is written without completely finishing the original game and completely disregarding Chain of Memories, so a few facts here and there might be off. You probably won't see much of Tomoki or Junpei, as is my style. Possible signs of Takumi…Or maybe Kouzumi, or something of the shonen-ai category. I haven't really decided yet. Any suggestions?

****

Important Note On Timeline: After the season ended for Frontier, obviously. However, Kingdom Hearts is a TWT…Timeline? What Timeline?…Basically, it's after the first game is over, but instead of wandering aimlessly to Castle Oblivion and into _Chain of Memories_, Sora, Goofy and Donald returned to Castle Disney when the worlds became separated…

Lots of thanks to the lovely and clever SayoranLover, who graciously agreed to beta and give me basic opinions on this fic! Without her, there'd be a lot more typos, folks, but just remember: Semicolons are EVIL!

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts

Prologue: Weird Thoughts

…How long has it been? Since it all happened?

…I'm still…Looking for you…

All of you…

…

It had been three years since they'd returned from the Digital World, and life was back to normal. By 'normal' we, of course, mean 'much better'.

Kouji sighed, leaning back against the grass with a sigh, gazing lazily up at the sunlight filtering through the lush, green leaves of the tree to reach his face. His hands slipped behind his head, tightening the blue bandana before spreading flat to create a pillow of sorts. He closed his eyes and felt himself start to slip away…

"Hey, Kouji! This is no time for a nap, buddy!"

The blue eyes snapped open to glare, annoyed, into familiar auburn brown. Takuya Kanbara was grinning down at him, leaning over from behind so that he looked like he was upside down. His goggles reflected the sunlight dancing onto Kouji's blue jacket.

"I wasn't sleeping." he snapped as a retort, sitting up.

"Looked like it to me." Takuya grinned, straightening and starting to bounce his soccer ball on his knees. "So what were you doing?"

"Thinking. You should try it some time."

"Hey…!"

"Cut it out, you two." Izumi interrupted, coming over to the pair with her hands on her hips. Her blonde hair had been left purposefully uncut the past two years, and was now tied down her back in a long braid. A few bangs remained to shelter blue-green eyes from the sun, and while her general fashion sense of knee-length skirts and tummy-showing shirts hadn't worn off, she had grown to fill out where a eleven-year-old's body couldn't.

She leaned down to offer Kouji a hand, but he didn't take it and pulled himself up. "Fine, be that way." she huffed, hands on her hips again. She motioned to the picnic table down the hill. "Food's all set up, and you'd better hurry before Junpei gets it all."

Takuya grinned, giving his soccer ball a kick to roll it down ahead of him. "Hey Kouji…" he turned to the other boy sneakily. "Race ya down!"

Kouji smirked. "You're on, Takuya."

"You boys…" Izumi sighed as they both glanced at her. "All right then…On your mark…Get set…GO!"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Sora paused a moment on the cobbled path in the courtyard of the Disney Palace, looking up at the dark night sky. He searched through his memory, mentally reviewing each of the worlds he'd visited in his long travels, before they were all sealed about a year ago…Traverse Town, Wonderland, Agrabah, Halloween Town, Neverland…

He smiled as his eyes allotted on the star that was his own home world, Destiny Islands. Kairi…his sweetest friend, secret crush and constant inspiration…was waiting for him there. He'd find a way back to see her again soon…

One of the stars flickered. Sora's eyes snapped to it, watching the small point of light flicker in and out, in and…

"Sora!"

Sora blinked slightly. The star was back to normal, shining and twinkling against the darkness.

"Sora!" Donald repeated, in his usual nasally, quack-like duck voice. He swiped his Mage's Staff impatiently. "Come on! We need to get moving!"

Goofy, the Royal Guard of Disney Kingdom, wandered up next to Sora, looking up at the sky. "Gawrsh, what'cha lookin' at?"

Sora shook his head. "Nothing. Just the stars."

He sighed, then turned back to his friends with a wide grin, gripping the Keyblade in one hand. "Come on, guys. Let's get going!"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The picnic lasted, as usual, long until the sun was set. They often tried to stretch things like this out as long as possible…since they all went to different schools, these weekend get-togethers were very important to them. Especially to the twins.

The stars were starting to come out as the group started their way home. The only one of them who didn't live on a nice, round-about route from the park was Kouichi, and he was spending the night at his father's so Kouji could help him get ready for the _Tanabata_ festival, which was to be held the following day.

After dropping off first Junpei, then Tomoki, the remaining four found themselves on an old observation point near the top of a high hill, looking down at the lit city streets and the park they had left. People were already setting up stands and potted bamboos for the next day, colorful lanterns lit to help them see.

Izumi held in an eager squeal. "I can't wait!" She sighed dreamily. "Tanabata is _so_ romantic! Don't you guys think so?"

Kouji stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I guess."

Takuya shrugged. Kouichi gave a half-hearted nod, looking a bit preoccupied. Izumi pouted at them. "You boys have no feelings." she huffed, leaning against the guardrail. "It's the whole point of the festival! Don't you know the legend?"

"How could we not?" Takuya sighed. "The Lit. teachers have pounded it in enough."

"The festival of romance and the stars…" Izumi sighed, making the boys wonder if she had heard them. "The one night when lovers Shokujo and Kengyu are allowed to cross the Milky Way to see each other…How can you not think that's romantic?"

"Romantic or not…" Kouji glanced at his watch. "If we don't get home soon, there won't be any festival for us."

"Okay, I get it." Izumi grinned, pushing off the rail to lead the way. "Let's go, boys."

Takuya grinned wirily and hurried to catch up with her. Kouji shook his head with a good-natured sigh, stuck his hands in his pockets and followed.

Kouichi paused a moment, looking up at the stars. You couldn't see many of them, because of the city lights, but there was still a few scattered constellations…the pale outline of the Big Dipper…a very, very soft Milky Way…

"Festival of the Stars…"

Kouji turned back. "Something wrong, Kouichi?"

The elder twin shook his head, like he was trying to get water out of his ears, and smiled at his brother. "Oh…nothing," he sighed, and hurried to catch up.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouji's house sat on the corner of the street. When they reached it, each bid their separate farewells as Izumi headed down one road and Takuya went the other. Kouichi and Kouji entered the house and started to get ready for bed.

When Kouji came out of the shower, he was a bit surprised to find that Kouichi wasn't waiting for his turn. Combing out his wet hair, he wandered into his room and was even more surprised to find that Kouichi wasn't there either. He was about to panic when he noticed that the window was open, and he could see the top of someone's head sticking up just passed the sill.

His brother was sitting on the roof, staring up at the stars that barely dotted the clear night sky. Kouji sighed, leaning on the windowsill to look down at him.

"Kouichi." he muttered, a bit concerned. "What're you doing?"

"…Just thinking." his brother mumbled, almost incoherent.

"On the roof?"

"I wanted…to see the stars." Kouichi took a deep breath of cold night air through his nose. There was a moment of silence before he would speak again. "Kouji…did you ever think that there might be other worlds out there? Like the Digital World?"

Kouji cocked his head at him curiously, but his brother didn't notice. He was too busy with his fantasies, eyes closed and dream-like. "I think that…there are different worlds out there. Ones we could get to, if we wanted to. And I want to, Kouji…I want to see those worlds."

Kouji frowned at his brother. In the moonlight, Kouichi seemed almost…pale. And thin. Like he hadn't been eating well. His clothes were too big…they always were, their mother bought a size too large to let him grow into them and make them last longer…but even they seemed limp, thin, and raggedy.

"Kouichi…" he whispered, concerned. "Are you…feeling okay?"

Kouichi laughed a bit, turning back to him. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Kouji sighed, shaking his head. He was being silly…they had other things to think about. "Okay, you, get in here," he said, pulling at his brother's arm. "Satome'll have a fit if you don't get yourself cleaned up for dinner."

Kouichi smiled, climbing back into the room, but he paused a moment to gaze back up one more time. "Hey, Kouji?"

"Yeah?" his brother turned back to look at him.

"If we ever do find a way to get to those other worlds…" Kouichi smiled at him. "We'll go together, right?"

Kouji sighed, smiling at his brother's fantasies. "Whatever you say, bro. Whatever you say."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Sora frowned, staring at the page in his hands with uncertainty. Then he glanced over at Jiminy. "Are you sure this is part of Ansem's report?"

"Definitely. It matches the handwriting of the other parts." the cricket produced his notebook, opening to the section on Ansem's report to compare. Sora had to admit, they had to have been written by the same hand, but this one was…weird.

"But I thought we had all the report." Goofy stated, semi-confused.

Sora was a bit annoyed as well. They had discovered a small cave on the outskirts of the Disney Kingdom, and had been asked by Queen Minnie to check it out. Under it all, there had been nothing but a series of ruins that ran amongst and between themselves in a huge maze. And when they reached the end, they found…this.

__

"When one door is locked, another will open…

When one battle is over, another begins…

The Key is not enough anymore.

There are other pieces to this puzzle.

I have heard of these things before. A legend was passed through the generations of our world. Ten 'items', each representing a different element, were said to be scattered amongst other worlds. They were supposed to react only if one's heart was strong enough to wield them…much like the Keyblade.

I would love to see one of these items…they could hold another key to the identity of the Heartless."

"What's it mean?" Goofy wondered out loud.

"Who knows?" Donald quacked, waving his wing…hand…nonchalantly. "There's nothing else here. What a waste of time."

"But if the 'items' are like the Keyblade, maybe they could help us find the 'Way to the Light' the King was talkin' 'bout." Goofy objected.

Sora contemplated the writings for a moment. "…Like the Keyblade…" he mumbled slightly, then turned back to the others. "Come on. Let's head back to the castle. Maybe someone there knows something about this."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

When Kouji woke in the middle of the night, he wasn't sure what was wrong that had stirred him so. He rolled over to try and get some sleep, then realized he was the only one in the room.

"Kouichi?" He gasped, sitting up. His brother's futon lay empty next to his bed, the covers pushed down as though the person sleeping there had scrambled out quickly. Kouji scanned the room, but it was empty. His brother was gone.

A crash of thunder drew his attention to the window, which was open and blowing the curtains wildly. Kouji climbed out of bed, pulling his jacket on, to stick his head out the window.

The sky was covered by dark clouds, swirling and churning in on each other. Every now and then, they'd be illuminated by a blast of lighting…blood red lightening.

"This isn't…normal." he whispered shakily. A flash of movement suddenly caught his eye. A boy with dark hair, wearing a tattered green jacket, was running down the street in the direction of the park. "Kouichi!"

Ten seconds later he'd pulled on his jeans, jacket and shoes and was running after his brother. For some reason, probably the feeling of dread that was building in his stomach, he'd snatched up his wooden Kendo blade as he left the house.

He was not, however, watching where he was going, and nearly ran down someone perfectly human that just happened to be in his way, knocking them both to the ground.

"Hey!" A familiar voice shouted. "Watch where you're…Kouji?"

"Takuya." Kouji sighed, climbing to his feet. "What are you doing out here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing!"

"I asked first."

Takuya sighed through his teeth. "You're not going to believe me…"

"With all this?" Kouji pointed to the sky. "Try me, and make it quick."

Takuya sighed again. "I saw…Izumi. Out my window."

Kouji cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"My window's on the first floor. She was standing outside, just staring at me." Takuya looked very disturbed. "But when I opened it to see what she wanted, she just…disappeared. Like the wind blew her away."

Kouji let out a bit of a hiss. Takuya glanced at him. "What about you? What're you doing out here?"

"Kouichi left the house." he said shortly. "Takuya, something's wrong. Kouichi was acting weird tonight, and Izumi showing up at your house, and this storm…None of this is natural."

"So what're supposed to do?"

Before Kouji could answer, there was a strange noise from behind them. The two boys snapped around, in opposite directions, as several strange creatures seemed to rise out of the very ground to surround them.

They were like huge, black bugs with beady little yellow eyes. They leaned over, almost on all fours, bouncing as they moved in jerky lunges. They didn't seem to make any noise, but you could almost hear a sort of cicada-like chirping between them.

"Wh-What are these things?" Takuya exclaimed, backing up against Kouji in a defensive stance. "Digimon?"

"No way. They're something else." Kouji bristled. "And they're in the _way_!"

He lunged, swiping with his Kendo blade. It thumped harmlessly off the creatures, which simple sank into the ground popped up elsewhere. One leapt up behind him and took a swipe at his back, leaving three short, deep, bleeding gashes.

"Kouji!" Takuya called, kicking one of the things with even less effectiveness.

Kouji hissed with the pain of his wounds, spinning around. "We can't fight them! Make a run for it!" he called to his friend. "We have to find Izumi and Kouichi! Make sure they're safe, and don't get yourself killed!"

With one last nod between the two friends, they split off after their own targets.

Kouji ran longer than he'd ever thought he'd be able to, still clutching his Kendo blade. He couldn't stop, couldn't look back, or those things would catch him. He knew where Kouichi was going: he was heading for the park…they always went there.

As he rounded the hilltop road, he discovered Kouichi standing at the observation point, staring up into the swirling, red mass that was the night sky. There were none of the…creatures…here. They were the only two in sight.

"Kouichi." Kouji sighed, lowering his weapon to slack at his side. "There you are."

His brother didn't respond, so he took a few steps closer. "Kouichi…come on. We have to get somewhere safe. Something's wrong…This is dangerous."

Still no response. His brother stared up at the red-lined clouds as though he'd been hypnotized by their swirling shapes. Kouji, still quite a bit away, was now very worried. "Kouichi, please say something!"

For a moment, the only answer was the wind. Then Kouichi's mouth opened, very slightly, and he whispered. "You said…we'd go together, right?"

Kouji frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"The other worlds…They're…waiting…" Kouichi wasn't looking at him. Instead, he began walking intently forward, gazing up at the center of the swirling clouds, high above the park. "We can…go there…"

Kouji suddenly realized his brother was heading _over_ the guardrail…right off the edge of the cliff. "Kouichi, stop!" He shouted, lunging forward to try and catch him. "You'll kill yourself!"

"He said…he'll take us." Kouichi whispered again. "To those other worlds…"

Kouji suddenly saw something hovering off the edge of the cliff: a figure he hadn't seen against the darkness around them. It was a tall man, dressed completely in black, a long robe with a hood pulled over his head. He was simply standing there, in midair, his hand outstretched…Kouichi was reaching for his hand, only inches from his grasp.

A voice came from the hood. "The worlds of darkness…await…"

"No, Kouichi!" Kouji lunged with his wooden tool, only to be deflected by some kind of field. He staggered back, then tried lunging again as he shouted. "Don't listen to him! He's not…He's lying!"

"But…I want to go…" Kouichi mumbled, stepping over the guardrail.

Kouji lunged again and again, only to be thrown back by the field each time. "Kouichi, listen to me! Come back!"

"It's too late." the hooded figure hissed as he gripped Kouichi's hand, pulling him away from the overhang and into the air. The other black-gloved hand rose to stroke the boy's cheek in an almost seductive manner. "This boy's heart and soul already belong to the darkness. It's time he joined us, where he belongs."

Kouichi's eyes were clouded over strangely, leaning forward to accept the man's corrupted invitation. Kouji lunged again, calling his brother's name and striking the shield. The two hovering figures began to lift upwards, into the swirling mass that was now taking up the paper lanterns and small pieces of debris from the park like a tornado.

"Kouichi! No, Kouichi!" Kouji shouted, plunging in once more. This time he refused to let himself be thrown away, driving forward through the sparks that flashed around him. "Let go of him! Kouichi!"

Kouichi turned back slightly. "Kouji…"

Kouji pushed further in, sparks flying around him. His eyes were focused on his brother, who was gazing blankly back at him as though confused. Still pressing forward, he raised the wooden blade and brought it down one more time to strike with blaze of light…

And suddenly, the wood in his hands morphed and changed into a hilt of silver metal. The long wooden body faded away to be replaced with a long thin beam of white-hot light…

Kouji dropped to his knees as the force field suddenly gave way. His head snapped up where the two figures had been, but neither the hooded man nor his brother were anywhere to be found.

"Kouichi!" He shouted into the wind, which was steadily picking up ferocity. "Come back! Kouichi!"

The wind raged around him, starting to rip trees out of the earth and up into the swirling crowds. Kouji gripped the guardrail, not noticing the world crumbling around him, not noticing the wind, not even noticing the strange weapon that had somehow come into his possession. He just kept staring up at the swirling, red and black mass, shouting his brother's name.

The wind soon became too much for him. He was lifted off his feet, into the air, high, high up in the air towards the swirling mass…

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Gawrsh, look!" Goofy pointed into the sky as the three-man team exited the ruins.

"What is it?" Donald quacked, annoyed.

"That star!" Goofy exclaimed. "It's goin' out!"

For a moment, the star in question flickered in and out, before suddenly blinking out of existence all together. The three stared up in silence, before Goofy spoke again. "Gawrsh, you think it could be the…the Heartless?"

"But how?" Donald whispered, then shouted wildly. "That can't be! We locked the keyhole! The Heartless are _gone_!"

Sora gripped the Keyblade. "Then another door must be open…into the darkness" he whispered, not sure if he should be excited or afraid. He snapped his head to look at his friends. "Back to the castle, guys, now! We've got to talk to the Queen!"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Somewhere in the cobbled streets surrounding a bright white-stone palace, there lay a young boy. Held limply in his hand was a blade that seamed to be made of pure light, glowing quietly in the back alley as though hoping to catch the attention of a good Samaritan. He shifted painfully, not awake yet, and a single word escaped his lips.

"Kouichi…"

…

__

I've been having these weird thoughts lately…Like, is any of this for real…?

Or not?

**__**

TBC…

Just to keep things straight, I estimate that, as with other alternate-world stories, the worlds of Kingdom Hearts each run on their own time when not connected. So the ages play out something like this:

Kouji, Kouichi, Izumi, Takuya - 14

Junpei - 15

Tomoki - 11

Sora, Kairi - 15

Riku - 16


	2. Chapter 1: Licht Seger

Whee…I decided to do nice, long chapters for this fic! (I.E. - This will probably be the shortest one for a long while) However, that means they'll take longer to come out, so please don't get mad at me…

I've drawn a nice little bit of art for this fic, and I'd really like your oppinions on it. (For those of you who rememeber the pic from 'Amoung the Amazons', please don't worry...my art has greatly improved). If you would please go to:http : www . mediaminer . org / fanart / view . php / 175517 (copy, paste, remove the spaces) and tell me what you think, it would be very much appreciated!

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts

Chapter 1: Licht Seger

The distressed look on Queen Minnie's face should have told them there was something amiss, but Sora, Goofy and Donald were too busy rushing in to see her to really notice. A few quick, hasty bows were given before they started in.

"Your…Your majesty…" Sora puffed, out of breath.

"There's something wrong!" Donald screeched.

"A star went out!" Goofy added helpfully, and all three fell silent.

Minnie waited a moment, allowing them to catch their breath before she spoke. "We know…about the star. It's out, all right. A world, completely gone."

The three gaped up at her. "So…" Sora sighed, straightening. "Was it…the Heartless?"

"We can't tell. Not from here." Minnie shook her head sadly. "However… something else of interest has come to pass most recently…"

Daisy took over from here, clearing her throat. "One of the guards found a young boy outside the palace gates just before you three arrived." She reported. "He's not from around here…actually, he looks more like Sora, but different as well…and he was holding a strange weapon. He's still unconscious, but we expect him to be waking up soon…"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The first thing Kouji noticed when he came to was a pounding, searing headache. He groaned at what seemed to be several timpani drummers playing his eardrums. He squeezed his eyes tightly closed against the sudden light, then slowly opened them about half-way.

"Hey, buddy." A voice came from his right, accompanied by a slight flash of auburn brown hair. "You feeling okay?"

Kouji grinned slightly. "Of course I am. When am I not, goggle-head?"

"Goggle head?"

Kouji blinked, clearing his image of the blurry figure, and realized that it was not, as he had thought, Takuya. It was another boy, maybe a few years older than himself, but not by much. His hair _was_ the same color as Takuya's, but it was also wilder and crazy, sticking up in places and lying flat in others. His eyes were bright blue, and he was dressed in a red shirt, blue-black jacket with white sleeves, and baggy red pants, with silver chains around his neck and distinctively large yellow shoes.

Kouji blinked again. "…You're not Takuya."

"Um…no." The boy blinked as well, though in confusion rather than to clear his vision. "My name's Sora…Who're you?"

"…Kouji," the dark-haired boy mumbled, trying to sit up. He winced a bit when his back brushed against the heavy wooded headboard.

"Easy there." He was suddenly aware of several strange figures standing just past the boy's shoulder. Two ducks, a mouse and some sort of dog, all on two legs…The one who spoke to him now seemed to be a girl duck in a purple dress, placing a hand… wing…on his arm lightly. "You had a few light wounds on your back. They haven't had a chance to heal quite yet."

Kouji slipped on a smooth poker face, looking around at the strange room. "Where am I?"

"This is Castle Disney." Sora told him. Kouji got the feeling they'd told him to do the talking, since he appeared to be the only other human.

"How'd I get here?"

"We were hoping you could tell us that." Another duck quacked. This one was dressed in blue robes and holding some strange kind of staff.

"Donald…" the female duck admonished, pulling him back.

Sora leaned forward to get Kouji's attention. "Some of the guards found you outside the castle. You've been out for a while." He nodded to the female duck, and the mouse. "Daisy and Queen Minnie have been taking care of you. Donald, Goofy and I just got back a little while ago…"

"Back from where?" Kouji interrupted.

"Oh…someplace near another world." Sora shrugged.

"And what does that mean?"

"Well…"

"I can 'splain that." The dog…Goofy, he had to assume, wandered over to the window across the room, opening it wide to show the dark night sky. The inky blue-black was dotted liberally with shining white stars. "See there? All those stars show the way to other worlds."

"They do?"

"Yup." Sora nodded. "We've been to a bunch of them, but we'll get to that later. What's important now is that you must have come from one of them…"

"This is another world?" Kouji mulled this over a moment, a bit of a smile playing over his face. "So…Kouichi was right…"

He suddenly gasped, snapping straight up. "Kouichi! What happened to him! And Takuya, and Izumi and…and…"

"Just calm down." Daisy urged. "We can't tell you what happened until we know a bit more." Kouji fell quiet, but flatly refused to say anything. Daisy sighed. "Start with your home. What did you call it?"

"…Shibuya." Kouji muttered, looking distressed. "It's a…city. A section of one, actually…It's part of Tokyo."

"Shee…boo…yah." Sora pronounced carefully. "It sounds…interesting."

"It was boring." Kouji rolled his eyes, but then his expression softened. "Until…last night…"

All eyes were on him as he continued slowly, untrustingly. "There was this…storm. The lightening…It was red, and the clouds…like a whirlpool. And there were these…these monsters. Like huge black bugs…"

"With yellow eyes?" The male duck quacked.

Kouji nodded shortly. Sora looked at the floor. "So they are back…" he whispered. "The Heartless."

Kouji's eyes snapped to him. "What?"

"…Those creatures. They're called Heartless." Sora sighed, looking up. "They feed on people's hearts and exist to destroy. They've attacked worlds before…and we've locked them away."

"Attacked worlds?" Kouji's frown intensified. "What were they doing in Shibuya?"

There was a very uneasy silence as the gathered strangers glanced at each other, as though all were unwilling to say anything. Kouji narrowed his eyes. "What aren't you telling me?"

"The thing is…" Sora looked up at him, hesitant. "Your world…Shibuya…has been destroyed by the Heartless."

Kouji's blood ran cold. "…What do you mean, destroyed?"

"Gone." Goofy shrugged. "Poof. A star went out just a'fore you showed up. The same thing happened when we met Sora."

Kouji looked down at his lap, thinking it all over. He gripped the sheets around him with barely-contained fury. "…Gone?" He whispered. "My parents…My friends… Kouichi…Gone?"

"Don't give up so fast." Sora urged, reaching forward to put his hand on the other boy's shoulder. "We brought my world back…Maybe we can the same for yours."

"And besides…" Daisy smiled. "Perhaps your friends made it to other worlds, the same way you did. If their hearts are truly strong, they could have carried them to safety."

"That's right…" Sora urged, smiling at him. "I bet they're safe."

For a moment, there was silence as Kouji sat, pondering everything that had happened. Then he straightened with a look of determination, starting to push the covers off and climb out of bed. "All right, then." He muttered. "What do I have to do to find them?"

"W-Wait a second!" Sora exclaimed, putting his hands on the other's shoulders to try and ease him back into bed. "You're still hurt!"

"They're scratches." Kouji hissed almost dangerously.

"Still, they're wounds." Daisy pressed, looking up at him. "And they will pull you down…besides, the Gummi ship needs repairs, and you can't just wander aimlessly. Wait a day or so, that's how long it'll take our specialists to heal those."

Kouji glared, but stayed where he was, annoyed. The mouse in the pink dress, standing in the far corner, cleared her throat. "There's something…else…we need to ask you."

All heads turned to her. She was holding out a strange kind of weapon…like a thin blade of white light, held in shape by a shining metal hilt. She took a few steps closer, holding it out to Kouji. "We found this with you. I assume it belongs to you."

Kouji blinked at it, as though having a hard time recalling what it was used for. Then a small glimmer of recognition passed over his face. "That's right…That's what my…bokuto…" he whispered, reaching out to take it. "But…how?"

There was a soft cough from the doorway. "Perhaps I can answer that."

Several heads snapped around, as Sora, Donald and Goofy shouted in chorus. "Aerith!"

The brown-haired woman smiled gently. "Sora. It's so very good to see you again."

Donald waddled over and looked up at her. "What're you doing here?" He asked nasally. "You said the worlds were separated!"

"Yes…about that." Aerith was quiet a moment, choosing her words carefully. "As Leon and I said at our last meeting…the worlds you visited were closed off from one another, including our home in Hallow Bastion. However, just in case the Heartless ever came back, we began experimenting with how to get past those barriers…and discovered that some worlds, including this one and our own…have become re-connected."

"What!" Sora exclaimed, then frowned in realization. "…Of course. That's how the Heartless operate, isn't it? That's why they could get to…Shibuya…"

"Excuse me?" Kouji interrupted. "What the heck are you guys talking about?"

For a moment, Aerith's eyes fell on the weapon in his hands, and a worried look passed over her face. "…It seams this would be better understood if we all had full explanation. Let's all start from the beginning…"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Somewhere, far, far away from Disney Castle, two dark figures moved through a dimly lit grand hall. Neither was bothered with the darkness… indeed, they both seemed to prefer it. For a long while, nothing was said, then the first spoke in a rich, enchanting male voice.

"…What news is there of the Items?"

"As we suspected," the other whispered, in a succubus-like female voice. "All ten items were hidden in that insignificant little world…But they sensed the danger and fled…After all, if these things have 'spirits', who's to say they do not also have hearts?"

The 'man' glared at her, then turned impassively away. "And…?"

"We managed to apprehend five of the items, including one of their chosen owners…He's in stasis at the moment. The other four had also selected their masters and escaped with them to other worlds…a search is already underway. However…"

"'However'?"

"…The final item has simply…disappeared." The woman glared up at him accusingly. "I don't suppose you had something to do with this?"

"I assume you are speaking of the item of Darkness." He smirked. "Ansem already has _that_ one under control."

"I find you a fool for trusting that creature." She sniffed. "Or are you forgetting what happened to Maleficent?"

"Maleficent was the fool." An evil grin slid across his face in the pale light. "Ansem knows more of the true darkness than anyone else. He will bring it into this world…at last."

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"I see…" Aerith muttered gently, deep in thought as she looked at the item in Kouji's hand. "So…this sword may very well be one of the 'Items' Ansem's old notes mentioned…"

All eyes were on her, but she didn't seem to have realized that she was the only one who knew what she was talking about. "…Items?" Donald prompted.

"…Indeed." Aerith muttered, then looked up. "There is an old legend in our world of ten items of power, each unique in strength and skill. Some say they represent powers of the Heart: Courage, Love, Friendship, etcetera…while others say they represent ten elements that hold power over all worlds."

"This item…it has a certain power radiating from it…" Aerith nodded sagely. "Much like the Keyblade."

"Like the Keyblade…" Sora whispered, looking down at his weapon thoughtfully. "Does that mean…Could we use them to find Riku and the King?"

"…Possibly."

They were quiet another moment, and then Aerith looked up at Kouji. "However…I do not believe the items of legend were ever given a proper name, nor a true shape. They were said to take the form which best suited the chosen owner's heart, a form which they were familiar with…Does this item remind you of anything in your own world?"

Kouji gripped the silver hilt experimentally, then grinned slightly in recognition. "…Yeah." He muttered with a small 'Hmph'. "It's a lot like something I used…a long time ago. We called it…_Licht Seger_."

"Li-echt…See-ge-ar" Sora tried to pronounce carefully, then laughed. "That's a bit hard to say. Why don't we just call it something simple, like…Light Saber?"

Kouji stared at him blankly, then a smile cracked over his face and he burst out laughing. Donald frowned up at him. "What's so funny!"

The almost uncharacteristic laughter started to slow. "You have no idea how corny that is, do you?" Kouji chuckled.

"Corny? I think it sounds good!" Sora bristled defensively.

"Never mind…" Kouji sighed, smiling just a bit. This guy was funny…and he reminded him an awful lot of Takuya.

Aerith smiled as well. "So, you are intent, then?"

Kouji took a moment to remember what she was talking about, then nodded. "I have to find my friends."

"And _we_ have to find those items." Sora chorused, putting arms around Goofy and Donald. "If there's any chance of finding Riku and the King, we gotta try it. It's better than sitting around here…"

A smirk crossed Kouji's face as he closed his eyes impassively. "Yeah. It is."

"So it's a deal? You're coming with us?"

Kouji sighed and gave a small, thoughtful 'hmph'. "…Fine."

Aerith smiled as well, standing. "Here…" she said softly, putting something in Sora's white-gloved hand. It was a small, roughly square piece that looked…rather strange, at least to Kouji's eyes. "This Navigation Gummi is a present from Sid. The worlds it leads to should give you a good start."

"Thanks!" Sora grinned and turned back to Kouji with a wide smile. "It's all settled then. We're leaving tomorrow morning!"

****

TBC…


	3. Chapter 2: The Ancient Woods

Since I couldn't figure out what Disney movies to put in and actually make it understandable, I decided to use my favorite animes instead! Cool, right? Oh, and I've started my own website! If you'd be so kind as to go take a look, the address is: www . geocities . com / geministarnonsense (remember to remove the spaces) Please and thank you, hope to see you there!

**__**

FOR THOSE UNACCUSTOMED TO KINGDOM HEARTS: You must understand that the separate 'worlds' are not meant to follow their movie/series storylines. They have the same characters and many of the same elements, but they do not fall in any timeline. For example, the story for the world of _Alice In Wonderland _had Alice on trail for 'attempted theft of the queen's heart'. Sora and his friends gathered evidence to prove it was the Heartless, then have to beat up the Card Guards, only to find that Alice has been kidnapped. Then there's a boss fight, etc. and you move on to the next world. (You find Alice again later, BTW) All the worlds are like that. So please, no reviews saying "That's not how it was in the movie!" Okay?

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Princess Mononoke are copywrite Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.

Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts

Chapter 2: The Ancient Woods

When Kouichi came to, the first thing he realized was that his head hurt.

Forget hurt, lord, his head was _killing _him. And his neck and shoulders and everything below there, too…He didn't feel injured, that is, there was no blood, no cuts, nothing was broken, but at the same time he ached and throbbed painfully with every breath.

_"What happened…?"_ His mind rushed to try and answer that question, but all he got were a few snapshots…

Red thunder…a man's voice…his brother's face…

His brother. Kouji. Where was he?

His hand found something solid and he pulled himself up with it. Slightly closer examination turned it into a tall, black staff, about his height, just thick enough that he could wield it with power, but still hold it comfortably. The two ends were topped with simple gold-and-black decorations. It looked…familiar, somehow, but he couldn't put his finger on it. His head was pounding too much.

He stumped out of a dusty back-alley into an even dustier, coal-black city. Around him rushed several black, blob-like creatures, different shapes and sizes, all chattering away in high-pitched squeaks.

Kouichi leapt back as one of them lunged at him, then bounced back almost playfully. But Kouichi wasn't amused…these things scared him, he didn't know why, but they did, and his head was pounding so furiously.

"This is interesting, isn't it? So many of them, in one place…"

That voice…He understood it! Sure, it was higher than he was used to, squeaky and almost mouse-like, but it spoke in a language he understood!

"Yes. I suppose even a place like this must have cities." The second voice was deeper, more human, but not quite 'grown-up'…maybe someone his age?

He scanned the street wildly, trying to figure out where the voices were coming from. After a moment, he focused on two figures wrapped in heavy, black robes, hiding their faces. One was about his size, maybe a bit taller, and the other was much shorter. They were moving cautiously through the dark streets, as though trying very hard not to be noticed…

He stumbled up behind them, feeling his head start to spin again. In desperation, he reached forward and grabbed the taller of the figures' sleeve. "P-Please…can you help me?"

The figure turned around sharply, and for a moment Kouichi got a glimpse of pale silver hair and bright blue eyes, widened in surprise, but at that moment his senses cut out completely and his knees gave way.

The silver-haired boy, still half-in-shock, caught the limp form wordlessly before he could hit the ground.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Gummi ships are very odd vessels. Created by combining small bits of inter-stellar material known as gummi blocks, which easily attach to one another and add their own attributes to the vehicle, these crafts are able to travel the great distances between one world and the next in minimal time. There are, of course, dangers involved in such trips, including bizarre obstacles that must be steered around, random meteors and Heartless ships, all of which can be easily blasted or avoided.

As such, it took a decent amount of time after their launch for Sora, Kouji and the others to reach their first destination, and the result left Kouji more than a little disoriented when he first climbed off.

"You get used to it pretty quick." Sora assured him. The dark-haired boy gave him a rather dour look, before turning his blue eyes to the world around him.

There were…trees. There really wasn't much more you could say about it, except that there were an awful lot of trees. That's not to say that the trees themselves weren't impressive…the only place he'd ever seen anything like this before was the Digital World, these towering flora with their leaves and branches spread wide, casting everything into shadow. There was more, as the forest itself seemed almost…alive.

"This is another world?" H asked blankly.

"Oh, yeah." Sora grinned. "They're all different, and we've been to some weird ones, trust me. One of them got us swallowed by a whale…and one was completely under water…and then one of them shrank us to about six inches tall…"

"Okay, okay, I get it…they're all pretty weird." Kouji sighed, starting to wonder how he got talked into this. "So…now what?"

"Now we, uh…" Goofy thought a moment. "Uh…Look fer people! Yeah, that's always worked before…"

Kouji groaned slightly, but followed after the odd little group, silently cursing whatever god it was that seemed to enjoy sending him wandering through strange places with random bunches of goofballs he didn't even know…

A strange wind blew by, catching his senses for some reason. He tensed slightly even before they heard the blood-curdling, animal-like shriek that rang through the woods.

Goofy jumped comically, raising his shield and glancing nervously about. "Gawrsh, what was that?"

Kouji almost immediately pointed off to the right. "It came from that direction."

Sora gripped the Keyblade. "We should check it out." He muttered, and took off, closely followed by Donald and Goofy. Kouji sighed between his teeth, but snatched up the Seger and followed after.

They slid to a stop several feet later, recoiling slightly. There, charging down the hill and bowling down everything in its way, was something that looked like a huge mass of writhing black tentacles, small, beady red eyes glaring out from them. It crawled low to the ground like some kind of gigantic lizard, and everything it touched suddenly shriveled and died in a pile of putrid red-black goo.

"What…is that thing?" Sora hissed, reeling back. "A heartless?"

"Watch out!"

The second voice was a new one, one none of them knew. It was male, bold and yet gentle at the same time. Heads turned at once, before they all ducked as something that looked like a cross between a horse and an antelope leapt nimbly over them. It was mounted by a young man with short-cut dark hair and brown eyes, dressed completely in blue and sporting a bow and quiver of arrows.

The new figure turned back as he rode on. "Take cover, all of you, lest this demon infect you as well!"

He leapt off, after the monster.

Sora and Kouji blinked, a motion which was mirrored by Donald and Goofy. "I get the feeling we should help him…" Sora muttered slowly.

"Then what're we standing here for?" Kouji snapped, slightly annoyed, and took off down the 'infected' trail.

The rider pulled an arrow out of his quiver and fired, landing in the writhing mass and disappearing almost instantly. His red elk suddenly slid to a stop, rearing back with a shriek to try and dodge the next attack. The animal made it, but not without throwing his master to the ground, though he rolled out of the way just before the attack could hit him. Coming to a stop, the boy glanced up, just as another stream of vine-like tentacles shot out at him…

They were suddenly cut loose by a beam of light as Kouji sliced through them with the Licht Seger. Sora slid in front of him, bashing away with the Keyblade, as Donald and Goofy chiming in with magic and bashing with respective blunt objects.

"You okay?" Sora called back to the new boy.

"I'm fine!" The young man insisted, leaping to his feet. "Don't let it touch you! It's a demon, it will curse you!"

"Now he tells us." Kouji hissed through his teeth, leaping back inches before being hit.

The stranger fired off a few more arrows in attempt of support, but despite their efforts the creature continued to shriek and writhe, attacking them wildly with no sense of aim or reason.

"This isn't working…" Sora growled.

"What was your first guess?" Kouji shouted, barely slicing the tentacles away from him.

"Just hold on!" The new boy shouted, dropping his bow in favor of snapping a katana-like sword out of its sheath. He dashed forward with almost unnatural agility, slashing with his sword until he reached the beast itself. With tremendous force, he lifted the blade over his head and brought it straight down through one of the glowing red eyes.

The demon gave an unearthly shriek and reared high into the air…then it fell backwards, keeling over, as the black mass shrank away to reveal…a very large pig.

A boar, to be exact, judging by the huge tusks protruding from its jaw. It was huge, its nose bigger around than any of them were tall, the size of a large moving van. Quite quickly, its flesh had also melted away, leaving nothing but a pile of charred bones.

"Gawrsh." Goofy gulped, lowering his shield. "Now what do you suppose that was?"

"It used to be a god." W the newcomer, wiping his sword clean on the grass. "A great boar god, a leader of the boar tribe which lives in this forest. But a poison seeped into him, and he became a demon…that was what killed him."

Kouji looked at the young man strangely, his brow furling. Sora noticed this and asked. "What's up?"

"The way he's dressed…" the long-haired boy muttered. "It's similar to clothing worn during the…feudal era. In my world."

"Feudal era?"

"Never mind." Kouji shushed him as the young man drew forward, sheathing his sword.

"In any case…I thank you for your assistance." He sighed, bowing slightly at the waist. "My name is Ashitaka, and I come from a land far to the east of here."

"Uh…Hi." Sora tried to bow shakily as well, but it didn't turn out as good. "I'm Sora. This is Donald, Goofy, and Kouji. We're from…uh…someplace far away."

"Yeah…far, _far_ away." Donald quacked.

"I see…" Ashitaka nodded, calling over and checking his elk-steed. "Then you are travelers as well." With a short jump, he climbed into the saddle and turned to face them. "The forest has grown dangerous, especially at night. If you would prefer to sleep peacefully, I suggest you follow me. There is a town nearby where you can stay."

Donald frowned as the young man turned away. "Should we trust him?"

"I don't see why not." Sora shrugged. "He does seem to be the only one who knows what's going on. Maybe the Heartless are causing problems here, too."

Kouji frowned slightly, gripping the Licht Seger in one hand. "And…Kouichi might be here. Or the others." He whispered, soft enough that the others couldn't hear him, then looked up. "All right then. Let's go."

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

When Ashitaka said 'town', Kouji had been expecting something out of the Sengoku era, like the illustrations in his history textbook. He'd been expecting thatched-rough houses and dirt 'roads', fields for raising crops and perhaps a lord's castle…

He had not bee expecting Iron Town.

Iron Town, as the place was called, was build on an island slightly off-center in a wide, dark lake. The only way to reach it safely was a thin land-bridge, leading to the tall front gates. It had high walls, built from tall sturdy trees and the slopes leading up to those walls were covered with three-foot-long spikes. Some of the houses had thatched roofs, but most of them seamed to have been made by a different, more modern process. Heated water, from hot springs high in the hills, ran down a series of pipes and into the city. Thick white smoke billowed out of most of the larger buildings, and the sounds of hundreds of clanking machines and tinkering hammers echoed out of it incessantly.

"Are they…making something?" Kouji wondered, looking up at Ashitaka.

"They mine iron and forge it into weapons and tools." The strange boy explained. "They specialize in a new kind of weapon, using explosive powder to fire balls of steal into their enemy's bodies."

"A gun." Kouji finished. "They're making guns?"

"…Indeed." Ashitaka sounded more than a little bothered by that revelation, but continued to lead the way into the massive village.

Once inside, Ashitaka leapt off his red elk (Yagul, as he so lovingly called it when his reigns were given to a pair of guards) and proceeded to lead them through the town with a sort of serious smile.

"Do you live here?" Sora asked, noting how many of the villagers (mostly women) were responding to Ashitaka with a friendly, happy air.

"Not really." Ashitaka sighed. "I came to this land looking for the forest spirit, in hopes that he could…cure…the curse placed on me by a demon similar to the one we fought back in the trees. This is the only human settlement for miles…There was no other choice."

"Gawrsh, is somethin' wrong?" Goofy wondered out loud.

Before the human could respond a tall, burly bald man came up to them, frowning. "Who are these…creatures?"

"Creatures!" Donald exclaimed, quickly shut up by Sora and Goofy.

"They are travelers, and friends." Ashitaka reported peacefully. "They require information, so I am taking them to see Lady Eboshi."

The tall man drew himself up pompously. "Her Lady is not required to meet with every piece of riffraff that comes in out of the…"

"That's enough." A deep female voice interrupted. The man spun around, revealing the woman who stood just behind him.

She was an older woman, but not too old, her hair still long, thick and dark as it was pulled into a decorative bun at the top of her head. Her eyes were a cold, steely blue that held both compassion and fury in one glare. Her skin was pale, almost alabaster-white, but she wore just enough makeup to give her lips and eyes a full, rich appearance. She was dressed in a dark red, layered kimono that made her small form look quite a bit larger.

"Ashitaka." She smiled, almost warmly. "I trust your return was a safe one."

"Unfortunately not." The young man stated seriously. "Another of the boar gods became infected."

"…I see." Eboshi sighed, turning back towards a large mansion-like house sitting at the top of the town's acropolis. "Then I suppose we have much to talk about. Let's have some tea."

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Lady Eboshi's home was much more along the lines Kouji had expected…simple, yet elegant, very traditional with tatami mat floor coverings and rice-paper sliding doors. As it was, he felt somewhat at home, quite a bit more than Sora and the others.

"I'm impressed." The hostess smiled slightly as they sat at the low table, sipping her own expertly-made green tea. "For a visitor to our country, you certainly know the traditions quite well."

Kouji smirked slightly. "The country I come from has very…similar…traditions."

"I see." Eboshi nodded, sipping her own cup. Sora was managing to copy her motions with some difficulty, but Donald and Goofy had given up trying a long time ago.

"Now…" Eboshi cleared her throat. "Back to the matter at hand…I understand that the four of you are visitors, from even farther than Ashitaka…Is that correct?"

"Yeah." Sora agreed, chorused by Goofy and Donald as Kouji gave a curt nod.

Eboshi gave the sort of creepy smile that gives you the impression the smiling one is about to go for your neck. "Then I feel it only fair to warn you of the dangers lying hidden within the forest. We, the people of this town, have been at war with the animal tribes which live in these woods, and indeed with the forest itself, for a very, very long time."

Sora frowned. "Why?"

"These mountains are rich with iron, which, as you can see, is the very lifeblood of our town." Eboshi reported coldly. "The sand under this city has long been dug out, we must spread into the forest or we will die. However, the creatures of the forest…especially the Wolves and the Boars…are determined to fight against us.

"Over many years, the Boars have grown weak and stupid. They are no longer a threat…except when they are as the one you fought with. Those are the ones who have been possessed by a dark force, radiating from deep within the heart of the forest. They are willing to sell their souls to the Darkness in order to eliminate us from existence here."

Donald frowned. "Sounds to me like she deserves it." He muttered under his breath. Sora elbowed him to be quiet.

Kouji frowned as well, but for another reason. "And these Wolves?"

"Yes…" Eboshi got that sinisterly creepy smile again. "They are the true enemy in our war. The Wolf Tribe is older, wiser…They have refused the dark creatures, instead being lead by their mother, the God Moro, and by a human girl… her 'daughter', known as Princess Mononoke…"

"San." Sora, Kouji and the others were surprised at Ashitaka's sudden interruption. "Her name is San."

Eboshi, on the other hand, brushed the comment off with a slight smile to the boy. "Yes, of course." She said softly. "San."

She cleared her throat royally and looked about to continue, when suddenly there was a loud, booming knock at the door. She glared in its direction sourly. "What is it?"

"My greatest apologies, Lady Eboshi!" Shouted the guard outside. "But we have received news of the possessed creatures and of the wolf-girl!"

Ashitaka was on his feet in an instant, slamming back the rice paper doors and scaring the small man waiting just outside. "What about her?"

The guard trembled a moment, then stuttered out his response. "S-She's been spotted heading into the woods after one of the possessed boars. She was s-saying something about th-the Forest Spirit. T-They could be heading for the very heart of the forest!"

"She's with one of the demons?" Ashitaka insisted.

"Y-Yes, she's following after it like a hound…"

The dark haired boy didn't need to hear any more, as he snatched his bow, arrows and sword and sprinted out the doors. In an instant, Sora had seized the Keyblade and leapt to his feet.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kouji asked coldly.

Sora's blue eyes trained on him with a determined glare. "Those things have got to be Heartless." He said shortly. "We need to go after them before they get this world, too."

"And this is our business…why?" Kouji asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Because I've got the Keyblade." Sora snapped. "Stay behind if you want to, I'm going after those things."

With that, he was out the door and on Ashitaka's heels, Donald and Goofy barely inches behind. Kouji growled a bit in frustration, hissed through his teeth, and finally grabbed the Licht Seger and followed after his new teammates…

****

TBC…

For those of you who have yet to view Hayao Miyazaki's _Princess Mononoke_…First of all, I pity you greatly, as your anime viewing experience is obviously incomplete without the addition of this wonderful film…However, I have compiled a nice little mini-character (Jiminy's Journal-style) guide of people who will appear in this fic:

****

Ashitaka - Prince of the almost-extinct Emishi people, Ashitaka defended his village against a boar god infected by a small iron ball that transformed it into a demon. However, during the fight his right arm was infected by the demon. He was forced to leave his people and travel to the West in search of the cure before the arm destroys him.

****

Eboshi - The female leader of Iron Town. Lady Eboshi populates the town by buying the contract of 'every brothel girl' she meets. She brought guns to be made with the iron, made by the leaper colony she protects. She seeks the blood of the forest's Deer God to heal the leapers, and is constantly at war with the wolves.

****

San - Also known as 'Princess Mononoke' of the Wolf Tribe, San is the adopted human daughter of the Mother Wolf God, Moro. San hates humans, especially Eboshi, for destroying the forest that is her home. Though she is rather vicious, Ashitaka fell in love with her at first sight…

That's all you really need to know! If you want to find out more, they have a very nice DVD released from Disney with both the original Japanese-subtitled track and a very nice English dub. See you next time.


	4. Chapter 3: The Ancient Woods Pt 2

I beat Chain of Memories. I'm so happy! Now I can play Reverse/Rebirth as Riku-sama! Ah…RIKU! (cuddles non-existent Riku and Kouichi plushies) There are only two things that annoy me about that game…1), there has not been a three-dimensional cut scene yet, and 2) Riku ALWAYS calls Mickey 'Your Majesty'. For some reason, that annoys me like heck, so it's gonna be different in this story.

BTW, if you ever see a question ending in an exclamation point in any of my fics, blame Quickedit. It doesn't let you have both an exclamation point and a question mark, so overly-excited questions are apparently not allowed anymore… Oh coughIturn16onSatudaycough

Once again…and I'm really bad at this…a hundred thousand million thanks to Syaoran-Lover, the awesome and wonderful person beta'ing this fic.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts

Chapter 3: The Ancient Woods - Part 2

Kouichi groaned softly at the all-too-familiar pounding in his head. However, there was also a new feeling, and this one was very welcome: a cold, wet cloth being pressed to his forehead by a strong hand, and a voice…unfamiliar, but still strangely comforting…whispering to him. "Easy there. You're gonna be fine."

He opened his eyes slowly to the crackling light of a campfire burning only a few feet away. His head was pillowed on what felt like a bundle of cloth, perhaps a cover of some sort, while the only heat his body could feel was that of the fire. It was otherwise dark, and stars dotted an inky sky, so he could only naturally assume it was nighttime.

Two figures were leaning over him. One confused him quite a bit, as it seamed to be a rather large mouse with big ears, wearing bright yellow shoes and otherwise dressed like a foreign ambassador from the 1800s. His face was very friendly, but somehow it struck him as not quite real, like talking to a cartoon.

As such, he found himself much more attracted by the other face, the one knelling beside him and pressing the cloth to his head. It was a boy, an actual human, a few years older than him but not too much. His hair was shoulder-length and perfectly straight, a dazzling silver color, while his eyes were ice blue. For a moment, those eyes reminded him of Kouji, for, even though they were several shades lighter, they held the same look…one of serious impassiveness masking the kindness found deep within.

"Take it easy, okay?" The boy was saying to him. "You've got a pretty high fever, and if you don't watch it you're gonna get yourself hurt."

Kouichi blinked and shifted slightly, managing to sit up. He turned his body to face the human and blinked again, stupidly. "Who…are you?"

"Riku. The name's Riku." The silver-haired one shifted to one side, letting him lean against the trunk of a nearby tree. "And he's Mickey…King Mickey, if you wanna get technical."

"Just call me Mickey." the mouse piped in a high-pitched voice, shaking out the bundle of cloth to reveal one of the mostly-shapeless cloaks they'd been wearing in the city, which he spread over Kouichi like a blanket, adding in a bright smile. "I'm no King around here, thank goodness."

Riku turned his icy blue eyes to dark-haired boy. "So? What's your name, kid?"

"…Kouichi. I'm Kouichi." The boy shifted slightly, pulling the cloak-blanket up in an attempt to warm himself. He shivered a bit, feeling his head start to ache, then shook his head to come back to his senses. He could now see the dim lights of some kind of city on a hill far below them.

"Here." Mickey crossed to a pot that was heating over the fire. He pulled out a wooden bowl from…somewhere…and dipped some kind of bland-looking soup into it, which he held out to Kouichi. "Eat up, we've got more than enough. You'll need to keep up your strength to get better."

"…Thank you." Kouichi smiled softly, taking the soup and sipping it contemplatively. It tasted as though made from dried meat, but he could stand it. He turned once more to Riku. "Where…are we?"

"You don't want to know." Riku sighed, sitting back and taking his own bowl. "We're in the Darkness. An alternate dimension, parallel to our own in every twisted way. This is a world ruled by the Heartless, where darkness thrives and light is smothered."

Mickey had a strange-looking grin on his face. "I didn't know you were such a romantic, Riku."

The silver-haired boy narrowed his glare on the mouse semi-playfully. "It's an accurate description, so sue me."

Kouichi muffled a bit of laughter…obviously, these two had been traveling together for quite some time now, to joke the way they did. But after a moment he regained control and a frown slipped over his face. "So…How do we get out of here?"

"We can't." Riku sighed simply, turning back to him. "There's a way somewhere, but we've been looking for over a year and haven't found a thing."

"Something has to happen from the other side." Mickey added. "When things work together from the two sides, light and darkness, then the door will open again."

Kouichi shook his head. It seemed Mickey was one who enjoyed talking in riddles…Oh well. "If you guys knew that…how and why did you get here in the first place?"

The two exchanged semi-dark looks. "…We did it…" whispered Riku, "…to save all worlds."

At Kouichi's blank look he elaborated. "You see…when they cross into the light, the Heartless do nothing but destroy. They were eliminating worlds faster than anyone could keep track of. The only way to stop them was to seal the door to Darkness in the heart of all worlds…Kingdom Hearts. And they couldn't have done that if we hadn't been on the other side."

"Oh…I see." Kouichi nodded, looking down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up such a serious subject."

"In your situation, anyone would ask questions." Mickey added cheerily.

Riku turned to Kouichi again with a slightly expectant look in his eyes. "So?"

"So…what?" the dark-haired boy blinked.

"How'd you get stuck here?" Riku prompted. "You sure weren't with us, and you don't just go wandering in."

Kouichi thought a moment, closing his eyes to block out all distractions. He searched through his mind as much as possible, but unfortunately, only came up with a few useless glimmers…red thunder…a cold touch on his cheek…his brother's face, shouting up at him…

"I'm sorry…I don't really remember." He whispered softly. "Something happened to my home and I just…woke up here…"

Riku's face fell slightly in barely-masked disappointment. "…I see."

Mickey, on the other hand, smiled. "Oh well." He chuckled. "The point is, you got through. And since you got through, there mudst be another door to the light open somewhere. We just have to find it."

There was a strange rustling noise from the trees around them, and it wasn't the wind. Riku and Mickey both tensed suddenly, reaching for things Kouichi could only assume were weapons…Mickey's was an extremely large thin golden key that had to be at least two feet long, while Riku held what looked like a bat wing mounted on a red-and-blue sword hilt.

Kouichi stiffened instinctively. "What? What is it?"

"Not sure…" Riku muttered. "Here. Better get ready."

He picked up a tall black-and-gold-tipped staff, tossing it to Kouichi, who caught it nervously. He frowned slightly in recognition…it looked like the staff he'd used as Lowemon, but how could that…?

"What is this?"

"What, you don't know?" Riku gave him a strange look. "We found it with you."

"You did?"

"You were carrying it." Riku sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Look, I know you don't feel too well right now…But it doesn't really matter. The point is, you need to figure out how to defend yourself sometime…"

The trees in front of them rustled again as Kouichi climbed unsteadily to his feet. Riku raised the Soul Stealer into a defensive position. "This is as good a time as ever."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kouji and Ashitaka raced through the tree-filled paths of the ancient forest, the Emishi prince having abandoned his red-elk mount in favor of keeping up with his companions. Nevertheless, only Kouji, with his movements well-trained after years of martial arts, and Sora, with his unusual leaps-and-bounds from one root to the next, seemed really able to keep up with the incredibly swift Ashitaka, and the other two quickly fell behind.

Sora bounded up to the level with Ashitaka, barely able to keep pace. "Where're we going?" He called.

"San will go to the heart of the forest, the Realm of the great Forest Spirit!" Ashitaka insisted. "We have to go there, that's where we'll find them!"

An odd chirping noise caught Kouji's ear. In mid-run he turned slightly and took in a slight hiss at what he saw. "Hey, Sora!" He shouted. "We got company on our tails!"

Sora turned back as well, just in time to see dozens of Heartless…Shadows, he noted, not to mention Powerwilds and Bouncywilds(1), popping out of the ground behind them, chasing after them as though they were trying to stop them, but having fun doing it as well.

He gritted his teeth. "So the Heartless are behind this…"

Kouji snapped his head around. "Don't you dare slow down." He warned. "We can't afford to get lost here!"

"I get, I get it!" Sora snapped, bristling slightly. "Besides, Ashitaka's the only one who knows the way to this 'Heart of the Forest' place. That's definitely where this is all coming from."

He gripped the Keyblade in barely-contained emotion, though whether it was anxiety or excitement he couldn't tell. The deeper into the woods they got, the stronger the Keyblade was starting to feel. From past experience, that could only mean one thing:

An open Keyhole. A door to dark.

But if that was a good thing…He had no idea.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

They heard the scream before anything else, the high-pitched, beastly cross between a squeal and a shriek that echoed through the trees and mountains like a ringing bell. It was soon followed by a desperate, alto-female voice:

"Please, Lord Okkoto! Listen to me!"

"San!" Ashitaka hissed in a low whisper and picked up the speed. It took all the force Kouji and Sora had to keep up with him and not collapse in the tangled, almost conscious tree roots.

The voice grew louder and louder. "Fight it! You have to! You can't let it control you! Lord Okkoto!"

"SAN!" Ashitaka shouted, bursting through the trees. Sora and Kouji leapt through the blanket of forest moments later and, quite naturally, froze in their tracks.

For one thing, the scenery would have surprised anyone, the beauty of it was almost indescribable. The trees surrounding the tiny grove were so huge, so green, so thick, it was like a whole other world, completely contained within itself. Feeding the green lushness of fauna was a crystal-clear spring, creating a wide lake with rivers flowing from all sides. In the center of the lake was a small island with a huge tree, overstretching everything with a sheltering love.

But all of the beauty was almost instantly overshadowed by the horror of a huge, gruesome monster. It was one of the pig-things, but so much larger than the first one, and you could still see the creature beneath it. Said animal was a gargantuan boar of visibly great age, his hair long and white, eyes small and fogged over. He was blind.

That didn't seem to matter, however, as he was being quickly devoured by the huge, writhing black vines that had encompassed the first demon. He shrieked and squealed, but it didn't sound like he was fighting the demon. He was becoming one.

In front of him, bearing a makeshift spear as she tried desperately to ward off the black tentacles, was a girl. She had messy short brown hair and was wearing a cloak that seamed to be made from wolf's fur. Her bright blue eyes were wide in desperation as she shouted to the pig-thing. "Lord Okkoto! No!"

"San!" Ashitaka shouted again, yanking out his sword as he raced forward.

The girl San spun around. "Ashitaka!" She gasped breathlessly, just before a dozen tentacles shot out and wrapped around her arms and legs, pulling her back into the writhing mass.

"No, San!" Ashitaka's sword came down fast and swift, trying desperately to cut the struggling, biting, stabbing girl free, but it was futile as more and more tentacles wrapped around San, pulling her deeper and deeper into the writhing blackness.

"Ah-shi-tah-kaaa!" San's last muffled screams were smothered as she disappeared within the demon almost completely.

The Eboshi prince's eyes widened in horror and anger. "SAN!" He raged, his right arm bringing the sword down with superhuman force and hacking away desperately. He was so blinded by his anxiety that he didn't even notice the huge mass of tentacles mere inches from drawing him back into the same trap as the wolf princess…

With a sound that seemed a combination of slicing and searing, the tentacles were suddenly three feet shorter and retracting with a screech. Kouji, bearing the Licht Seger in one hand, grabbed Ashitaka's collar with the other and yanked him back, away from the demon.

"Let go of me!" Ashitaka insisted, struggling. "He's got San! San!"

"You're gonna get yourself killed!" Kouji snapped, tossing him free eight feet away. "You think that's gonna help her?"

"Kouji's right." Sora insisted, gripping the Keyblade and slipping into his low-to-the-ground battle stance. "We've gotta beat that thing to get her back. You up to that?"

Ashitaka pulled himself back to his feet, gripping the katana loosely in one hand. Then his head snapped up and he glared at the beast in front of him. "I'm ready."

Sora lead the charge, swinging his Keyblade at the heart of the creature, which shrieked in response and sent tentacles at him. Kouji suddenly appeared next to him and sliced away the black mass, clearing the way for Ashitaka to lunge forward.

The three attacked as best they could, slicing and crashing and leaping back to avoid the attacks. Remembering Ashitaka's warnings of 'Don't let it touch you', Kouji began circling the creature, slicing whenever he got the chance to strike.

Sora chose the leaping-in-and-jumping-back method off attack, as Ashitaka fired off arrows and switched easily to his sword in close-range contact. His right arm seemed to shake and surge with his fury, and Kouji couldn't help but notice the super-human strength he seemed to be suddenly gifted with.

Wait a second…

"Ashitaka!" Kouji shouted, grabbing on to a tree trunk to steady himself. "Where's this thing's weak point?"

"Why do you think I know?" called the Prince, slicing away the tentacles.

"Think!" Kouji snapped. "That one on the mountain! How'd you beat it?"

Ashitaka slashed again, thinking, and his eyes lit up slightly. "The eyes!" He shouted. "Uncover the eyes, those are the weak points!"

"Good! I'll cover you!" Kouji pushed off the tree and lunged for the spot he hoped used to be the boar's head.

The demon shriek and tossed its head back spewing tentacles. Kouji sliced them away savagely with the Licht Seger, Sora joining in shortly after realizing that there was a method to his madness, knocking away the black mass until the glowing blue eye was uncovered.

Ashitaka lunged forward, lifting his sword over his head and brought it down, right in the monster's eye with all the superhuman force he could create.

The demon reared back, screaming and tossing Kouji and Sora to the ground. Ashitaka held on to his sword hilt for dear life and twisted as best he could, causing the creature to screech and shake its head wildly, before dropping back to its feet and keeling over onto the barren earth.

With one, final, earth-shattering shriek, the monster shriveled up like a snail sprinkled with salt. The remains were scant, the bones powdering almost instantly, leaving only a pile of goo and a limp girl wrapped in wolf's fur.

Ashitaka gasped, sheaving his sword as he raced forward to gather her into his arms. "San? San, speak to me. San!"

Sora raced forward as well, Kouji a few steps behind. They stared down at the girl, covered in ugly black splotches and deep cuts. "Is she…?" Sora whispered.

"She's still alive." Ashitaka gasped, then suddenly gathered San in his arms and leapt into the lake.

"What are you doing?" Sora called after him.

"It's almost morning…" Ashitaka gasped, reaching the deep water and starting to swim with San in his arms. "The Deer God, the Great Spirit of the Forest, will be returning soon!"

If that made any sense to him, it went right over the 'foreigners' heads, but as he seemed to know what he was doing they didn't argue with him. The blue-robed prince swam out to the island with its great tree, setting San in a small indent in the bank.

There was a sudden clamor from the trees as Donald and Goofy appeared. "HEY! What's the big idea, leavin' us behind?" Donald quacked shrilly. Sora clamped a hand down on his beak as both he and Kouji shushed him.

"Gawrsh, what's he doin'?" Goofy asked softly, watching Ashitaka as he swam away and treaded water in the middle of the lake.

For a long while there was nothing but hushed silence as the sky above the trees began to turn slowly from black to murky gray. A soft wind rustled through the trees, and all of a sudden…_something_ was there.

It was an absolutely gigantic creature, made entirely of moving, living…_goo_… walking slowly between and through the trees in the moonlight. As the sky turned lighter and lighter, becoming reds and oranges and tinges of sky blue, the goo leaned forward and began to converge on the island where San lay partially submerged. And as the mass touched that spot of earth, it solidified and changed shape, becoming a fantastical animal unlike anything they'd ever seen.

It had the fur of a deer, but was at least as tall as a man. Its neck raised up to an almost impossible height, its face that of a human's, painted for war or ceremony. Its horns looked more like bushes, thick, bare bushes growing from the top of its head, dozens and dozens of thick, brown stalks growing together in multiple points. Anywhere it stepped with its huge, padded feet suddenly burst into writhing green life, fading away almost as soon as it lifted away.

The visitors to this world were breathless, as was Ashitaka, and all kept themselves as quiet as humanly possible. The great spirit moved slowly, taking its time with each and every step, moving closer and closer to the girl lying on his island. It paused a moment when it reached her and blinked sleepily, its face never changing, then leaned down and nuzzled the girl's hair with its nose.

San suddenly took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. As she did the wounds vanished, slithering away into the water and leaving her clean. As the Great Spirit moved away, her blue eyes fluttered open and she sat up, looking around with baffled wonder.

"San!" Ashitaka gasped, swimming to her. "Oh, thank the gods."

"Ashitaka." San whispered, blinking at him. Then she moved forward and allowed herself to nestle in the boy's arms. "They're…They're just going to keep coming. Those demons…They'll destroy the forest…"

Sora sighed, gripping the Keyblade in one hand. "They wouldn't…" He whispered softly. "If we could just find the Keyhole…"

The two humans didn't seam to hear him, but the Great Spirit did. It looked up at the gathered strangers, making eye contact, first with Sora, then with Kouji. Then it made his way, slowly, to the great tree at the center of its island and put one paw-hoof on a large root. It held it there a moment, looking at them meaningfully, then made its way across the water and disappeared into the trees.

Kouji frowned, then yanked Sora's arm to get his attention. "Come on." he insisted. "You're the one who asked for it."

He hit a button on the Licht Seger's handle to retract the glowing blade, slipping it into his belt, and dove into the water. Sora was on his heels this time, Donald and Goofy following after.

Under the root the God had touched, they found something like an empty space, just large enough for someone to climb into it, which they did, and found themselves _inside_ the great tree, in a sort of mini-cave within the hollowed trunk. And there, mounted on the inside of the wooden frame, was…

"The Keyhole." Sora whispered, grinning slightly as he stared at the black shape on the wall.

Kouji looked duly unimpressed. "This is what you go hunting for?"

"Of course." Sora pulled out the Keyblade, ready to align it with the hole. "These Keyholes are what let the Heartless into these worlds. They connect the worlds to the Darkness. Once they're locked, the Heartless will be gone. And they won't come back."

Kouji looked about to say something smug, but Goofy cut him off with a sudden "Gawrsh, whattya suppose this is?"

The rest of their team turned to see what he was talking about. He was standing by the right-side wall, staring at something in the wall. Donald waddled up, looking annoyed. "What're you starin' at?"

"Well, lookit." The dog-thing pointed at a small three-foot by three-foot square. Donald stretched his neck up to take a closer look, as Sora leaned over Goofy's shoulder with his natural curiosity and saw…

_"Riku, watch out!" The mouse shouted, knocking the huge Heartless's attack away with his golden Keyblade. The silver-haired boy rolled out of the way and was back on his feet, lunging forward with the Soul Stealer…_

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed, leaning forward. "It's really him! Riku!"

"And the king, too!" Goofy added. "Gawrsh, they look like they're in trouble."

Sora put his hand on the square, only to find it stop at the surface like a pane of glass. He raised his fist and banged on it, but couldn't get through. "We have to help them!"

Of course, it wasn't like he could figure out _how_. Whatever barrier it was keeping the two worlds separate held strong as the battle raged on the other side. Mickey and Riku actually seamed to be holding their own rather well, but there was something else that caught their eye.

"There's someone else with them." Donald quacked.

Sora stopped pounding and looked. "You're right." He whispered as the new dark-haired boy was tossed to the ground, barely having time to defend himself with a tall, black staff. "And…holy cow!"

"What?" Kouji snapped. He was the only one who hadn't raced over to see, rather standing off to the side, annoyed.

"Gawrsh." Goofy whispered, looking a bit surprised. "That guys looks exactly like you, Kouji."

_That_ got his attention, as the black-haired boy suddenly pushed Donald out of the way and was searching the moving picture on the wall. His eyes widened once he got a good look of the boy with the staff. "Kouichi!"

"You know him?" Sora blinked at him.

"Know him? He's my twin!" Kouji snapped, pressing his hand to the barrier as he stared, his face contorting in worry. The elder twin's movements were slower and clumsier than usual, as though he had a fever, which only doubled the fact that he wasn't very skilled in the first place. "He's sick…He's gonna get hurt…Nii-san…"

Sora stepped back, not really knowing what to say. Kouji was usually so calm, so stand-offish, that even though he'd only known him a few days, it was a shock to see him so shaken.

The Keyblade, still gripped in his hand, suddenly made a bit of a ringing noise and jerked in his hand. It pointed itself at the Keyhole and shot out its usual beam of blue-white light, into the center of the hole's darkness. From the inside echoed the low click of a lock falling into place, as the Keyhole slowly faded away into nothing.

Sora's head snapped back around to the square they'd been watching, only to find the edges dissolving away as well. "No, wait!" He exclaimed, racing forward. "Riku!"

"Your majesty!" Donald quacked, waving his staff.

"Kouichi…" Kouji whispered, as the silver-haired boy within the picture leapt to block the Heartless's attack inches from his brother. The mouse leapt up from behind and brought his Keyblade down, gaining them the upper hand just as the picture faded into darkness…

And left them staring at a blank wooden wall.

**__**

TBC…

(1) For those who don't know Kingdom Hearts, there are many different types of Heartless. Shadows are the basic plain Heartless, black bugs with yellow eyes. Powerwilds and Bouncywilds are both primate-type Heartless, with the Powerwilds being the 'male', dark blue and good at close-range attack, while the Bouncywilds are 'female', orange and better at long-range assaults.

Oh, if the battle scenes seam a bit…lacking…there's a reason for that. Namely, this based off a video game, and in video games you're supposed to create the fights yourself. Therefore, as I'm trying to keep this story moving smoothly, the battle scenes might be a bit…strange.

Whee, one world down! And quite a few plot points noticed as well! Cool. So, what's next for these guys? Well, let's just say it has to do with a ninja wearing bright yellow…


	5. Chapter 4: Villiage Hidden In The Leaves

(dances like an idiot) I beat Reverse/Rebirth! Yea! Sorry this chappy took a while! I had finals at the end of the year, then had to pack up and go see my Grandpa during his surgery. And now I am home for four days, before going to Mission Trip for a week with absolutely no computer access! Great, huh?

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts

Chapter 4: The Village Hidden In The Leaves

"I see." Aerith whispered quietly. "You saw your king, your friend and your brother, but they did not respond to you?"

Sora, Donald and Goofy nodded vigorously, while Kouji just gave one short snap of his head and turned back to sulking against the wall. Aerith nodded sagely, making a small 'hm-hm' noise under her breath, looking very intrigued by it all. There was a moment of silence in the small castle room before she spoke again.

"It does make a kind of sense, doesn't it?"

"What does?" Sora asked, looking confused.

"Well…" Aerith smiled mysteriously. "Obviously enough, if there are doors between our world and the Darkness, then there must logically be some chance for windows as well."

The gathered travelers looked profoundly confused, annoyed and rather grumpy at roughly the same time. Sora was the first to speak. "So, you're saying that thing was a…window?"

"In a sense." Aerith whispered softly. "Actually, from the sound of it, it's more a one-way mirror…You can see them, but they cannot see you. There might be several of these windows along-side the Keyholes, looking from both directions."

"So…The King and Riku could be lookin' at us sometime?" Goofy asked.

"Only if your path in this world follows the same road they are taking in the Darkness." Aerith stood and crossed to the window thoughtfully. "It is possible, if unlikely. Perhaps this is a gift in disguise…a way for you to keep track of each other…"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Several worlds away, tucked into a hall filled with sparkling darkness, a glowing orb kept a close track of the four heroes as they once again boarded their colorful ship. Four dark figures leaned over their conference table, each gazing into the orb with their own kind of morbid curiosity.

"So that puny little _mortal_ is the one who defeated Ansem?" A deep, rich voice fell from one of the figures, removing his animal-like mask to see better. "Hmph. I'm thoroughly disappointed."

"Ah know wha' you mean." Large hands began shuffling his way through a stack of artfully-printed cards. "An' the rest of 'em are no better. What an annoyin' bunch that is."

"It is unwise to judge merely by appearances." The deep tenor of a female voice echoed from the top of the table. "Even the weakest-looking opponents may have an ace up their sleeves."

"ENOUGH." The hall fell silent as their leader stood. Sharp vampiric teeth glistened in the gleams of darkness, as a long black cape rustled behind him. Black gloved hands ruffled through burnt-auburn hair, and bright purple eyes glinted behind a thin, red mask.

"Whether or not they are strong opponents is not the issue here. Our only concern is to collect the items which have avoided our grasp." A cold smirked wormed its way across his face. "Then, not even the Keyblade Master will be able to keep us from our ultimate goal…"

"Well then…" The lone female in the group smiled as well, waving her hand over the glowing orb. "I think obtaining _that_ item would be very good start…"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"We seem to land in quite a few forests, don't we?"

Sora rolled his eyes at Kouji's statement, but inside he had to admit…he agreed. They had touched down in _yet another_ lush, green forest. However, this one seamed to be a bit brighter, less magical and more…well, wild. The trees around them were huge, some of them as thick and wide as the towers of the Castle, with branches thick enough to easily hold himself, Goofy and Donald with ease. Amazingly livid vines grew all around them, snaking up the gigantic trees as though fully animated, and some of the leaves scattered on the ground were big enough to be easily used as a blanket.

"There has to be some sort of people here." Sora sighed, rubbing his head. "We just have to find them…right?"

"So your basic strategy is to wander aimlessly and hope for the best." Kouji rattled off coolly.

"It's always worked before." Sora shrugged, rather lamely.

Kouji rolled his eyes, muttering, "Definitely like Takuya…" under his breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind."

Their conversation was abruptly cut short by something fast, quiet and sharp that suddenly sped from one of the trees, barely missing Sora's right ear by two and a half centimeters. Another shot over Donald's back, loosing the duck a few feathers, and a second buried itself into Goofy's hat.

The Light-Sword and the Keyblade were bared in mere instants as the group tensed, glaring around them into the trees. "Gawrsh, who's there?" Goofy gulped.

"Come on, show yourself." Kouji growled through gritted teeth.

Sora's white-gloved hands folded around the Keyblade's hilt restlessly. "Maybe it's the Heartless…"

"Heartless? You mean Sasuke?" A voice quipped, echoing about the trees.

Kouji reversed his grip as he spun on his heels, lunging at a nearby tree. He leapt up the roots and sliced at a branch just above him, which severed with a crackle. There was a slight cry as he jumped back, and something big and orange landed with the branch.

The dust cleared in a few moments, revealing that the 'big, orange thing' was actually a boy, roughly Donald's size, a bit shorter than Kouji, who looked to be about twelve years old. His hair was spiky and yellow, held back from his blue eyes by a strange blue headband with a large metal plate covering his forehead. He was wearing a bright orangish-yellow outfit, lined with navy blue, with several strange pockets and bands attached to his legs and arms that seemed to be for carrying a small arsenal of dangerous trinkets.

"Ow…" he groaned, rubbing his head and sitting up sorely. "Man, that hurt!"

Kouji's glare heightened as he faced the stranger. "Who are you?"

The blonde hesitated a moment, then jumped to his feet, pulling out one of the small, sharp throwing-knifes. Kouji was ready, instantly turning the glowing blade back on the blonde boy. "Don't even think about it."

"Kouji, calm down." Sora groaned as he, Donald and Goofy hurried over.

"He attacked us first." Kouji snapped. "I'm not giving him another chance."

"Like you could stop me!" The blonde boy had a look on his face that seemed to be something between a pout and a serious glare, moments before his hands snapped together in a very odd position. The boy was engulfed in a puff of white smoke and, just as Kouji lunged for him, there was a loud bang as the smoke cleared to find Kouji holding onto…

"A _LOG_?" Donald screeched, waving his staff as he squawked.

"Gawrsh, where'd he go?" Goofy wondered out loud, looking back and forth over the top of his shield.

Kouji dropped the piece of wood like a hot ember, jumping to his feet with the light-blade barred once again, navy eyes scanning the trees restlessly. The sound of movement was all around them now, the leaves rustling savagely in the wind.

"Where is he?" The dark-haired boy growled, gripping the hilt of his weapon fiercely.

A sudden noise echoed over the leaves, a male human voice echoing in something between a scream of fear and a cry of surprise. Sora's head snapped around and he took off through the trees. "That sounded like him!"

"How would we know?" Kouji rolled his eyes, but took after him anyway, Donald and Goofy in hurried tow. "This is gonna be a long day…"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Back off, creeps! I'm warning you!"

The group slid to a stop, keeping just barely within the thick trees and barely outside of the clearing filled with Heartless. The ugly black bugs bounced around, chirping to themselves as they closed in on the blonde boy, once again baring one of his _kunai_ knives. Occasionally he lunged and slashed at one of the creatures, but otherwise he seamed to know he was outnumbered and was putting on a tough front.

Sora gripped the Keyblade fiercely and, in an instant, he'd leapt into the brawl himself, bashing away the Heartless ardently. Donald and Goofy were right behind him, with Kouji, after a moment's annoyed hesitation, on their heels.

The blonde seemed surprised. "Hey, you're that…"

"Don't talk, fight!" Kouji snapped, jumping back as one of the Heartless lunged at him, tearing open the bottom of one of his jacket pockets. He returned the attack with a slash of his blade, causing the creature to let out a high-pitched shriek and disappear into a small blaze.

There was the noise of a blazing fire behind him, and he spun around to find that the blonde stranger had stabbed a Heartless with his throwing-knife, just inches before the claws would've hit Kouji's back. The blonde grinned and Kouji allowed himself a small smirk before diving back in.

Sora whacked two more with the Keyblade, bashing a third over the head as Goofy came from behind to smash several against a tree with his shield. The Keyblade master spun around, just as several more rose out of the ground.

"There's too many of them!" He groaned, barely defending. "We're out-numbered!"

"Not for long!" The blonde snapped, dropping the knife once more. His hands shot up again, this time in a new symbol: two fingers raised on each hand, crossed over each other in a cross shape just below his face…

_"Art of the Shadow Doppelganger!"_

Sora nearly fell over, and was pushed to the ground anyway by the dozens of identical blonde boys that filled the small clearing all at once. Kouji leapt back onto the raised roots of a tree in defensive surprise, as Donald and Goofy crashed into each other.

"Charge!" One of the blondes, hopefully the original, shouted, and with a tremendous, collective roar the orange-clothed figures rushed forward, slashing and lunging and attacking with the throwing knives.

Naturally enough, it didn't take too long before the Heartless were gone.

With several puffs of white smoke, the extra people disappeared, leaving four very confused-looking travelers and one wide-grinning blonde boy standing together and staring at each other wordlessly.

The blonde took a deep breath. "So…You guys aren't with them?"

"The Heartless?" Sora blinked a few times, then shook his head. "No, of course not."

"I see…" The blonde sighed, putting a hand on his head for a moment, then grinned broadly again and held his hand out to the Keyblade Master brightly. "My mistake. Sorry, dude. Things have been a bit tense around here lately."

"I guess I know what you mean." Sora had to smile, shaking his hand. "I'm Sora. That's Goofy and Donald and he's Kouji."

The duck nodded as Goofy waved. Kouji just tossed his head slightly in some sort of greeting, then retracted the blade of his light-sword and put it away, leaning against the trunk of a tree sullenly.

"Nice to meet'cha." The blonde grinned brightly, pointing to himself with his thumb. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, Ninja Extraordinaire!"

Sora grinned too, breaking off the handshake. "So, Naruto…You live here?"

"Yup." The blonde nodded. "Well, actually, I live in the village, but lately…"

A loud howling sound echoed over the trees. Goofy jumped a foot, flailing wildly, before landing and raising his shield slightly. Kouji stiffened all over and Naruto whipped out another throwing-knife, snapping his head back towards the trees.

"…They're gonna come back eventually." Kouji muttered, climbing down from the roots.

"Yeah…" Naruto took in a small bit of air between his teeth, straightening. "Come on. I know someplace safe."

He took off into the trees at an easy-going pace, followed after a moment by Sora, then Goofy and Donald. Kouji put away the Seger and was about to follow after when he felt something small slip out of his coat and bounce against his leg before hitting the leafy ground.

He paused and bent down to pick it up. It was a small, flat, rectangular picture frame, roughly the size of a wallet with a hinged, clasped cover so that it seemed to be a large locket. It had opened on impact, revealing a picture of two extremely young boys, almost identical all the way up to their mops of dark hair, cuddled up together on a bean-bag, hand-in-hand and fast asleep.

Kouji faltered a moment, lifting the picture into his hands. "I…I didn't know I had this with me…"

"Hey, Kouji!" Sora's voice called back. "Come on!"

"Hurry up!" Donald squawked.

Kouji snapped the frame closed and slipped it into the other, more intact pocket before going after them.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

_The wind rustled the trees of the park restlessly, the fresh, green scent of spring being slowly cycled throughout the busy city below. His long hair blew behind him in the wind, the blue and yellow bandana on his head rustling as well as navy blue eyes looked over the spectacular view._

"I thought I'd find you here." A soft voice came from behind.

He turned to find his brother standing there, wrapped in a light jacket to ward off the spring chill, and smiled softly. "Hey, Nii-san."

"Hey yourself." Kouichi smiled, coming up to stand next to him. "I've been looking for you."

"What for?"

Another soft, loving smile. "To wish you Happy Birthday."

His eyebrow rose without his consent. "How'd you know it's…" The other boy cocked his head with a knowing glance, then it clicked. "Oh. Right. I keep forgetting… Same day."

"It's hard to get used to." Kouichi nodded in understanding, hiding just a bit of a laugh in his voice. He shifted his weight slightly, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a flat, brown-and-gold, rectangular picture frame. "Here…I wanted to give you this."

"Nii-san…" Kouji faltered. "I…I couldn't. I didn't get you anything."

Kouichi shook his head, pushing the locket-frame into his brother's hands. "…Grandma gave it to me." He whispered, opening it to show the photograph inside. "She kept it…after the divorce."

Kouji stared at it, at the old photograph of the two of them…together…when they were so young. "Then I really can't…"

"Take it." Kouichi insisted. "She left me a bunch of pictures like this. It's only right that you should have one." Another smile spread across his face. "And this way, you won't forget about our_ birthday anymore. Right?"_

_Kouji had to smile, his hands folding around the frame. "Yeah. Right."_

**__**

TBC…

Jiminy's Journal - (A.K.A. - GS's notes on people you need to know for Naruto, if you don't already)

****

Naruto Uzumaki - Naruto is the twelve-year-old troublemaker of Konohagakure. When he was a baby, a giant fox demon that attacked the village was sealed inside of his body, which lead the orphan to be shunned by the rest of the village. Very stubborn, strong and a bit obnoxious, Naruto loves ramen and has a not-so-secret crush on his teammate Sakura. His goal in life is to become the _Hokage_, the leader and most powerful ninja of Konohagakure.

****

Sasuke Uchiha - Stern and sullen, Sasuke graduated the top of his class in the Ninja Academy. He is the heir and survivor of the prestigious Uchiha clan, and his only goal in life has been to kill a mysterious someone. (Not gonna spoil it…) He's often rude and very proud of his talents, often stuck-up. Naruto hates him, and the feeling is mutual.

****

Sakura Haruno - The Valedictorian of their graduating class, Sakura is highly intelligent and remarkably skilled at controlling her _chakra_, her energy. She's a bit spoiled and her stamina and strength are on the weak side, but she has a good heart and really wants to help her teammates. Sakura has long had a crush on Sasuke, and her one goal is to make him fall in love with her. She detests Naruto.

****

Kakashi Hatake - The twenty-six-year-old cell leader and teacher of Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke, Kakashi is a _Jonin _or 'senior' ninja. He's highly skilled, having graduated from the academy at age five and become a second-rank ninja at age six. However, he is fairly laid back and can often be found reading his favorite book, _Make-Out Paradise_, which from the hints we get, we can only assume is something not meant for children. He is known and feared for his mastery of the _Sharingan _or "Mirror-Wheel" Eye.

__

"Art of the Shadow Doppelganger!" - Okay, I know, I know, the actually words are '(blank) no jutsu', as with all the other 'Art of the (blank)' attacks, but all of my information comes from Shonen Jump's monthly American magazine (which I have collected every single issue except for #2 & 3), and they only recently began using some of the Japanese versions of attacks, so instead of butchering the techniques with messed-up translations, I'm just going to stick to what I know.


	6. Chapter 5: Village Hidden In Th Leaves 2

(twitch twitch) Hoe…? People…actually like the Sasuke/Naruto coupling? (imagines it) No no no no! Not in my fics! Sorry folks, but that pairing's a no-no with me. I'm not fond of Takouji either, I only use it OCCATIONALLY as a plot device, so you can just forget that one too.

BTW - In case you didn't know, I'm writing a series of side-stories to this fic, all of them about Kouichi and Riku and what's happening in the Darkness. They're being gathered in _Elemental Hearts: Inside/Outside_, which you can get to through my profile. The first chapter takes place between this chap and the last one.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Or Naruto.

Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts

Chapter 5: The Village Hidden In The Leaves - Part 2

After fifteen minutes of leaping from sturdy branch to sturdy branch, Naruto suddenly dropped down through the leaves in a sort of cannonball, landing squarely on his feet in a covered clearing. Sora and Kouji followed, also landing on their feet, though Donald and Goofy tripped over each other and landed in a heap.

Naruto straightened, looking back at them with a big grin. "You don't have to worry now. We scouted this place out. There's no way those things can get in here without us knowing."

Looking around, Sora had to agree that the 'clearing' was pretty much fortified. Half of the rounded edges were actually made of a steep, rocky cliff covered in moss and vines, while the other half was covered by thick, sparse trees with loose branches so that anything that moved in them would give a decent warning.

Naruto was glancing around the clearing strangely, then up at the sun. "It's gotta be time all ready." He muttered, frowning. "Where the heck are…"

"Naruto, you're late! You idiot!"

Naruto, Sora and Donald jumped at the female voice, and were joined by Goofy when a second stranger spoke up. "Feh. Some things never change."

Kouji felt a ripple of tension run up his spine as the deeper, more masculine voice faded away. There was a slight rustle, both of vines and branches, before two figures dropped down into the clearing.

As the voices had indicated, it was a boy and a girl. The girl had light pink hair, long enough that it hung down her back, and bright blue eyes. She was dressed in an interesting outfit that seemed to be a dark red dress, with splits on each side of the skirt, over blue shorts and some sort of netting shirt. The boy, on the other hand, had short, styled black hair and cold blue eyes, dressed entirely in blue. Both of them were wearing the blue metal-plated headband, his in the same position as Naruto's, hers tied back like a headband.

The new boy eyed the group with scrutiny. "Who are these guys?"

"Jeez, Sasuke. Cool it already." Naruto rolled his eyes. "They're up against those black things, same as us."

"They're called Heartless." Sora said automatically, receiving a stern blue-eyed glare from Sasuke.

"And how do you know that?"

"We just do." Kouji snapped simply, keeping his voice at the same even keel as the other boy's. "How and why is really none of your business."

'Sasuke' turned to glare at him, and Kouji glared back. You could practically see the lightening bolts zapping between their eyes with the intenseness of their stares. Neither one blinked or seemed willing to look away.

Sora was just about to ask what they were doing, but was cut off by a much deeper, much older male voice. "Tell no secrets, eh? That's a good attitude for shinobi."

There was a small puff of white smoke. It floated away and disappeared to reveal a tall, white-haired, ever so slightly older man. He was dressed in odd gray and black clothes, though he wore the same blue and silver plated headband, this time pulled down over one eye. There was a large bag over his shoulder.

"Kakashi-sensei!" The girl gasped shortly, putting a hand on her chest as though surprised. "You're…you're back!"

"As we agreed." The man stood, keeping his face almost utterly impassive. "Sakura-chan, if you don't mind taking this…"

He handed the bag to the girl (Sakura?) who took it and nearly fell over from the weight. She resolved to grin and bear it, however, eventually setting it down in the corner of the clearing and opening it to reveal a decent stock of food.

Kakashi, on the other hand, took a step forward to examine Kouji and Sora with his singular uncovered eye. "Hm. You don't seem to be from any of the surrounding countries."

"We're from, uh…" Sora shrugged somewhat pathetically. "Kinda far away."

Kouji gave him a sour look. The brown-haired boy just shrugged impassively. The excuse had worked in Atlantica, after all, as well as a few other places.

"I see." Kakashi crossed his arms. "So I take it you are somewhat unaware of our current situation."

"What situation?" Goofy asked.

Kakashi straightened with a soft laugh. "It's too long a story to tell over an empty stomach. Now, if you wouldn't mind helping with the firewood…"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

A few hours later, night had fallen. Kouji, Sasuke, Sora and Naruto had been sent into the forest to collect firewood, and had come up with a decent amount between them. Sakura and Donald had gotten decent fire started before they got back, much to Naruto and Sasuke's surprise (Sora suspected Donald's magic had come into play somewhere). They now had a kettle of boiling water and several bowls of instant ramen.

Kakashi set down his Cup-O-Noodles, leaving only a bit of chicken-flavored broth in the bottom, and moved to a mug of tea. "So…" He sighed contemplatively. "Our current situation."

Kouji looked up, setting down his half-finished shrimp-flavored cup with an uninterested sigh. Naruto, on the other hand, quickly finished off his second beef bowl and was quick to ask if the dark-haired boy was done with his.

Kakashi took a long, meditative sip of tea, then set down his mug and looked out, impassively, with his one uncovered eye as he began his explanation. "I suppose it all began a few weeks ago, when those things appeared…What did you call them?"

"Heartless." Sora volunteered, setting his empty cup down to the side.

"Heartless." Kakashi nodded in understanding. "A good name for them. They appeared in this forest several weeks ago, as I have said, and soon made themselves at home. However, these woods are part of the protection of Konohagakure, our village, and unknown creatures here could not go unchecked."

"…So you are ninjas." Kouji muttered to himself, low enough that most of the others didn't hear. "A village. Hmph…Goes with the old stories."

Kakashi looked at him somewhat knowingly, then returned to his story. "However, each team that was sent to investigate these creatures was compromised. They simply…disappeared without a trace. Eventually, a state of emergency was declared. All Shinobi were recalled from active duty and ordered to report back to the home base to increase security. The gates were closed and locked from the inside, and everyone was on twenty-four-hour alert."

"It was a trap." Sasuke muttered sourly, crumbling his empty cup and tossing it away.

"What's that?" Donald squawked.

"…He's right." Kakashi sighed again. "The Heartless had been waiting for us to retreat. Once everyone was 'safely' inside, they slipped through the walls and invaded our village."

"As far as we know, we're the only ones who got out." Sakura whispered, her brow furled worriedly.

Sora glanced around at them. "What happened to everyone else?"

"They were outnumbered and retreated to the innermost sanctum of the village…where they are currently being held prisoner." Kakashi reported, taking the rest of his tea in one deep sip. "Even with all their combined Chakra, our kind of techniques have been…Ineffectual. The Heartless have studied us too well. We need another strategy, besides frontal assault."

"Sneak attack." Kouji said immediately. He glanced at Naruto, then Sakura, Sasuke and back to Kakashi. "You're ninjas, right? It's supposed to be your specialty."

Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "Indeed it is."

The plan was laid out quickly. Sakura had found a weakness in the outside walls, as had Sasuke, both just wide enough for them to sneak through. Kouji, Sora, Sasuke and Naruto would go through one entrance, while Sakura, Kakashi, Donald and Goofy would go through the other. Kakashi's team would create a minor distraction while Naruto's got to the shinobi within the inner fortress. Rally a veritable army of super-powered ninja on the assault, take the Heartless off-guard, and hopefully return the village to its normal state.

But until the sun was up, they couldn't do anything, so it was decided that a good night's sleep would be of use to everyone.

Kouji, however, couldn't sleep. He was sitting up by the fire, occasionally adding another piece of wood or poking the flame's tender with a long, thin stick. After a moment he reached into his pocket and removed the small picture frame. He opened it contemplatively, the picture reflecting firelight onto his face.

He ran his fingers over the glass of the picture frame, tracing them over the edge of one of the boy's cheeks. It had taken a lot of close examination, but he'd finally figured out that the little boy on the right, his face buried both in the beanbag and on the other child's shoulder, was his brother.

"Nii-san…"

"What'cha got there?"

Kouji snapped the picture closed, spinning around. Naruto was crouched on a raised root next to him, looking over his shoulder at the photograph. Kouji took a deep breath and scowled at the blonde. "It's none of your business."

"Okay, okay." Naruto raised his hands in a pacifying nature. "Jeez, calm down. Don't have'ta freak out, you know."

Kouji's scowl deepened, a small twitch over his eye. Naruto raised an eyebrow, changing positions to sit cross-legged on the branch instead. "What's with you?"

"Nothing." Kouji snapped simply, closing his eyes. He had a frown set on his face, annoyed with his own mind for comparing yet another stranger with Takuya. Naruto didn't look as similar to his goggle-wearing friend as Sora did, but his voice was a dead ringer, and for some reason it annoyed him…probably just because it reminded the long-haired boy how much he missed his friends.

There would have been a long moment of silence between them, except that Naruto didn't like silence so much and was humming a bit under his breath, toying with a kunai as though nervous. Finally, Kouji opened one eye and looked at the blonde with a quietly impassive face.

"…How'd you do that trick back there?"

"What trick?" Naruto asked, tossing the kunai so that it lodged in the ground a few feet away.

"When you jumped us." Kouji explained simply. "First you were there, then there was a log. What was up with that?"

"Oh, that." A grin spread over Naruto's face. "That's the Art of Substitution. Just changing places with something else. It's one of the first tricks you learn down at the Academy."

Kouji turned slightly to face him, both eyes open and a determined look on his face. "Teach me."

Naruto jumped a foot. "What?"

"You heard me." You could almost see the wheels turning in Kouji's mind. "I think it might come in handy."

Naruto stared at him a moment, mouth open as though about to protest, but they locked eyes and didn't say anything. After a moment of glaring at each other, Naruto finally closed his mouth and smiled a bit.

"Okay then. Let's give it a try."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

It was deathly quiet inside the village. Heartless made almost no noise, save gentle clicking sounds, but even those were absent in the bright blaze of noon-time sunlight. Occasionally, one of the monkey-shaped Bounceywilds or the floating, magical Blue Rhapsody would wander along, as though searching for something.

Kouji, Naruto, Sora and Sasuke were currently crouching in the branches of a tall tree, watching the streets below them with baited breath.

Naruto shifted his weight anxiously. "Come on already…"

"Just relax." Sora muttered, though he was already tense all over, gripping the Keyblade in his hand.

Kouji was holding the hilt of the Licht Seger, but the blade was still retracted to avoid detection. Sasuke and Naruto had both armed themselves with kunai and a plethora of tricks. The dark haired shinobi brushed his bangs out of blue eyes. "We have to wait for the signal."

"Er…yeah." Naruto sighed awkwardly. "…What was the signal again?"

A loud screeching suddenly echoed through the wooden buildings, a chorus of Heartless voices as they alerted their fellows of an attack. "That." Kouji said simply, and started out through the branches of the trees.

Naruto and Sasuke were obviously more used to this kind of movement than either of their fellows, racing stealthily through the trees with barely a rustle of leaves. Sora was struggling a bit, resorting to bounding from one large branch to another in his own style, but Kouji had the slight advantage of being light and thin enough to swing up into the higher branches, giving him a bit more room, even if it wasn't quite as 'stealth' as the two junior ninjas.

Kouji glanced down momentarily as he took a swinging jump into the next tree. A few straggling Heartless were racing along beneath him, but their attention was almost completely focused on the ruckus Kakashi and the others were making. Just ahead, the high gates of the Konohagakure inner emergency base were left all but unguarded…still locked, by a giant, warped heart that could be recognized from the signature marking on the Heartless, but almost unguarded.

They came to a rest in one of the huge trees, spread out on three branches and keeping eyes out in all directions, but all peaking towards the huge gates. "How do we get that thing open?" Sasuke muttered to himself.

"I say we hit it!" Naruto exclaimed, riled up and ready for action. "A lock's gotta break sometime!"

Kouji rolled his eyes. "Don't be an idiot."

The blonde snapped his head to the cool-speaking foreigner, then at Sasuke as he 'hn'ed in agreement. "So what do you think we can do about it?" He snapped.

"A-hem." Sora coughed softly, lifting up the Keyblade so Naruto and Sasuke could see it. A cocky smile slid across the brunette's face. "Leave that to me. I'll get it open."

Naruto looked as though he wanted to protest, but didn't say anything. After all, when dealing with giant locks, who wanted to argue with the guy holding a giant key?

"Fine." Sasuke peaked out of the branches cautiously, watching the small band of Heartless that had been left behind. "You go for the door, and we'll hold off what's left of the guards. Then we go bail out Sakura and the others."

There were a few short nods of assent. Muscles tensed and tightened in expectation, ready to spring, bound, pounce or whatever else their normal activities would permit from this angle.

"All right." Sasuke whispered, removing a fresh Kunai from the shuriken holder on his leg. "Count of three. One…Two…

Three!"

The tensed muscles fired off all at once, sending them flying in different directions. The moment Sora hit the ground he took off running for the gate, the Keyblade clutched in his hand. Sasuke shot from the branches like a rocket, aiming for a few Red Nocturne magic-types that had wandered off on their own. Naruto dropped into a whole group of Bounceywilds with a wild war-whoop, slashing with his weapon energetically. Kouji simply pulled his arms in and dropped from the tree, the Licht Seger activated on impact to cover Sora as he ran.

The Keyblade master burst through the pitiful blockade of creatures, raising his Keyblade to point directly at the artificial Keyhole. The Keyblade jerked, and flashed as a burst of light shot from it…

A loud roar echoed from above. Kouji shot his head up, just in time to see a huge shadow plummeting down on top of them. "Watch it!" He shouted, grabbing Sora by the back of the collar and yanking him out of the way just before the owner of the shadow hit.

It was a gigantic Heartless. It was roughly the size of a three good-sized portable classrooms, shaped like a huge black and gray fox with searing red eyes and several tails…Kouji counted six, which was better than nine but still not good. It screeched with a high-yet-still-deep voice, striking the ground with its clawed forefeet and ripping up the roots of the nearest tree.

"Aw, crud!" Naruto exclaimed, loosing his balance in mid-strike and falling to the ground, still staring up at the huge fox-thing. "What is that?"

"It's a giant fox." Sasuke growled softly.

"Well, duh!" Sora exclaimed, raising the Keyblade into his hands and diving in. "We've gotta get rid of this thing!"

He raced forward, bounding into the air to bash the Heartless as hard as he could on the right shoulder. He barely leapt back in time to avoid the dozens of thorny, green vines that shot out from the gray markings around the Heartless's collar, wrapping around the edge of the Keyblade. "What the hell?"

Kouji sliced at the vines himself, freeing his traveling companion's weapon with a decent swoop. But the vines suddenly multiplied by a factor of eight, this time aiming for the humans themselves, wrapping around legs and arms and pulling taunt to render them mostly immobile. "Dammit…" Kouji hissed, yanking at the vines and feeling it cut through his clothes and skin. "Get…off!"

"Hang on!" Naruto shouted even as his hands shot together. "_Art of the Shadow Doppelganger!_"

Instantly, dozens of Narutos appeared from the field of smoke. Each baring his own Kunai knife, they lunged forward all at once, most of them lunging at the fox's main body, though several attempted to slice his partners free of the fighting vines.

The vines wasted no time in lunging at the doppelgangers. The ones that weren't eliminated by the fox were soon squeezed out by his vines, disappearing one after another in puffs of purple-gray smoke. One bunch grabbed a copy by the leg, only to discover that it had drawn the real Naruto into its trap and soon bound him as tightly as the others.

"Aw, damn!" Naruto exclaimed, pulling at the vines. "Sasuke, you bastard, where are you?"

Sora gasped slightly as one of the vines wrapped around his throat. The long, thin tendrils were pulling them, yanking, shifting, pulling tighter…

Sasuke suddenly shot from one of the trees, his hands a sudden flurry of symbols and signs. His eyes blazed a strange kind of gold as he reared back, taking a huge breath as his voice from somewhere shouted out. "_Art of the Giant Fireball!_"

He released the breath all at once, shooting it through his hand, where it immediately ignited, true to word, in a fireball roughly eight feet in diameter. The Kitsune shrieked as the flare crashed into its side, catching its vines and, in turn, its collar, on fire and soon creating a raging inferno.

The three caught by the vines yanked themselves loose, scrambling from the flames as fast they could. Sasuke landed easily on his feet, glaring at Naruto seriously. "Don't let your guard down. I don't have enough in me for a second shot."

Under his breath, Naruto grumbled something about overkill. Sora had to admit, the feeling that his outer layer of skin had been lightly cooked was pretty damn unnerving, all things considered.

It took Kouji a moment to realize that the end of his ponytail was still on fire. Ignoring the roughly second-degree burns on his already singed hand he snapped back and put it out, growling slightly in distaste at the smell of burned hair.

The Heartless was wounded and burnt, but not gone yet and seemed more than ready for another round if the vines dancing around it were any indication. Sora started pounding with the Keyblade again, pausing only a moment to cast 'Curaga' on Naruto as the blonde started to slow down. Sasuke and the blonde shinobi were trying as many different attack techniques as they could, finding that only the head seamed to be really affected by their movements.

Kouji bounded up the branches of the huge tree, before kicking off the trunk harshly to send himself flying into through the open air, his eyes locked intently on the Heartless's forehead…

"Watch out!" Sora exclaimed from below, breaking his concentration. He snapped his head around to find vines shooting from the branches behind him, armed with razor-sharp tips and aimed right for his stomach as he turned through the air.

"Kouji!" Sora shouted again from below, racing forward. The dark-haired boy was falling in his course with a steady look in his eye, and suddenly dropped the light-blade sword as his hands snapped together…

Sora yelled out as the vines plunged into his companion's body with a sickening crunch and…burst straight through the thick piece of wood, leaving splinters to fall to the ground around him.

"What the…?"

"A-ll ri-ght!" Naruto shouted, punching the air excitedly from his place. "Got it in one night! Way-ta-go Minamoto!"

Sora snapped his head around to find Kouji breathing heavily from the roof of one of the half-destroyed houses. He was slightly flushed and looked as though he wouldn't be willing to do that again anytime soon, but there was a healthy smirk on his face and his ribs were definitely all in one piece.

Sora would've been tempted to punch him, had they not been in an emergency situation. Instead, he snatched up the now-deactivated hilt of the Lich Seger and threw it to his companion, accompanied by an exceptionally huge grin of total relief.

Kouji snatched up his weapon and extended the hilt in one swift motion, leaping down from the roof back to his original intended target. Balancing haphazardly on the kitsune-thing's shoulders, he slashed at the back of the creature's head somewhat expertly. Sora lifted the Keyblade above his head and bashed the monster over and over across the muzzle, while Sasuke and Naruto alternated their attacks as best they could, given the circumstances.

The Fox-Heartless was not amused. With a deafening roar, it scooped Sora up on the tip of its nose, tossing him into Sasuke and sending them both crashing into a wall, then onto the ground, vaguely stunned. Naruto received a kind of sideswipe that sent him flying towards the roof of the highest building around, sliding to a painful stop upon landing. A vicious shake threw Kouji loose, sending him crashing to the ground directly under the kitsune-creature's feet.

"Dammit!" Sora cursed, pulling himself to his feet and aiming at the Heartless as best as he could. "Firega!"

A fireball shot from the end of his Keyblade, crashing into the Heartless's right ear. The fox-creature roared in pain, distracted just enough for Kouji to scramble out from under its feet, coming to stop next to Sora and the recovering Sasuke.

The Heartless turned on them, eyes blazing in fury as the thorn vines ripped around its head like a halo. Sora gripped the Keyblade, looking wildly for escape. Sasuke was trying, unsuccessfully, to summon up the energy for one more fireball attack. Naruto's shouts and angry roars of his own echoed from a distance too far to be of any help. Kouji braced himself, lifting the Licht Seger in a hopeless defense. The Heartless reared up, about to strike…

"NOVA BLAST!"

A huge fireball, much larger this time, even bigger than the fireballs Sasuke threw around, came flying and collided with the Heartless's head, knocking it flat. With a colossal roar a huge orange…there was no other word for it…dinosaur reared up from the trees, storming into the village with some sort of care to damage as little of the remaining buildings as possible.

Sora's eyes widened. "What is that thing?"

"What're you lookin' at me for?" Naruto insisted, waving his hands.

Kouji stared at the creature in wide-eyed shock. "A…A Digimon?"

"All right!" Another voice drew their attention. It had come from a figure standing on the dinosaur's shoulder. He was tall and looked to be maybe eighteen. His hair was dark brown and wildly spiked, his brown eyes wide with excitement, his skin ever so lightly tanned. He was also grinning from ear to ear. "Get 'em, Greymon!"

"No problem, Taichi." The dinosaur…Greymon…growled in response. It raised a claw and knocked the Heartless away again, crashing to the ground in the remains of a small shop of some kind.

The Heartless growled as it sat up, rubbing its face a moment, then turned up to roar at the new comers. Before it could do anything more, a much smaller but also much faster ball of fire suddenly lashed forward, hitting it square between the red eyes.

The Heartless roared in pain, which was only to be expected, but then the fireball did something strange. It jumped back suddenly and shot to the ground, where it…bounced?

Yes, it bounced! It bounced from the ground up to the Heartless again, setting a few reeds on fire then leapt up again, smashing against the Heartless's shoulder. It bounced over and over, barely missing Naruto twice and actually setting Donald's tail feathers on fire.

The monster roared and dropped to the ground, shaking for just a moment before fading away. A bright red heart slipped out of its remains, disappearing into the sky.

The fireball was loosing its momentum, bouncing a few times before slowing to a roll. The fire disappeared slowly, revealing a large white ball about the size of a soccer ball, which continued to roll slowly until stopped by a tennis-shoe-clad foot.

"Whew." Sighed a loud-even-without-screaming voice. "Man, buddy, that could've been close."

Kouji snapped his head up at the familiar voice. Brown eyes, skin tanned by the sun during soccer practice, semi-long hair under a yellow baseball cap, the familiar gleam of square-shaped goggles…

"Takuya."

**__**

TBC…

Wow, that battle scene was…invigorating. Which probably isn't a good thing at three in the morning, but oh well.

You know, in the game Sora receives different abilities as he goes on, a lot of them depending on who he's gone up against or helped…Cloud, Leon (Squall Leonheart), Beast, Aladdin, etc. I just decided that the Art of Substitution would be cool for Kouji to learn. It kinda suits him. True, he's a bit more of a samurai than a ninja, but…feh.

Also, the idea of secret ninja or 'shinobi' villages is actually quite common in Japan, tying in with the old mythos, which is why Kouji knows about it.

The Inner Emergency Base has never appeared in Naruto. I just assume that they have somewhere to gather the troops, so to speak, should there be a crisis of some kind. Any decent military facility would.

Red Nocturnes and Blue Rhapsodies are floating, magic-wielding Heartless which fight with fire and ice magic, respectively. They look exactly the same except for their colors. There are two others in this 'group' of Heartless, whose names elude me, but the yellow variety uses electricity while the green has healing magic.

__

"…better than nine but still not good." - Naruto, as well as several other animes, have reference to fox demons…also known as youko or kitsune. Extra tails are the symbol of a fox's magic and power, bestowed on them by Inari, the god/goddess of foxes and rice. The maximum is nine, and more tails equals more power. So six is pretty darn good for the fox, but not so much for our beloved heroes.

__

Curaga - Level Three healing spell. _Firega - _Probably misspelled. Level Three fire-casting spell.

Whee…My mind thinks I'm playing a video game. Puzzle, fight, boss monster, plot twist, kablowie! That battle scene was actually…fun to write! I love this fic…The next world is gonna be a blast. And I get to write as my favorite juvenile delinquent again! Suh-weet… (Extra hint: Rokukitsune in this chapter drew vaguely from one of the characters from the next world)


	7. Chapter 6: Reprive

Oh, by the way, for those who don't play Kingdom Hearts…The 'Keyhole' is something at the center of every world. It leads into the Heart of the world, which is why the Heartless try to find it. If they infect the Keyhole, they can enter the world's Heart and destroy it. And, like the people they attack, if a world loses its Heart, it is plunged into darkness and disappears. Sora's Keyblade can seal the Keyholes, so the Heartless can't destroy the world, which is a bit part of his mission. I should've explained that back in Princess Mononoke, but I didn't think about it. Sorry.

By the way, if you're ever reading my author's notes, and I start babbling about stories from Japan and such, either enjoy them or just ignore me. I've got this thing for ancient mythology, and the stories from Japan's Shinto-Buddhist religions are absolutely fascinating to me.

Also, those who know Kingdom Hearts will understand that the 'World' Kouji and the others come from would not be called 'Earth', since all the other worlds are technically 'Earth's as well. The Digimon Frontier world is known, in this fic, as Shibuya, and that's all.

Oh, and the English version of Naruto ROCKS!

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Or anything else that appears here.

Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts

Chapter 6: Reprieve

"Takuya!"

The brunette goggle-head blinked slightly, then rubbed his eyes and did it again. "Kouji?" He gasped, somewhat breathless. "Is that really you?"

Kouji stood up, brushing himself off and keeping his eyes locked with his friend's. Takuya stepped forward somewhat hesitantly, still holding the object that had moments before been a rampaging super-bouncy-ball of flame. They stared at each other a moment, somewhat disbelieving, before Takuya reached forward and tugged lightly on one of the locks of hair hanging loose from Kouji's bandana.

"Hey!" Kouji snapped, smacking his hand away hard. "Cut it out, goggle-head!"

"Ha! It is you!" Takuya's face spread into a big grin, practically throwing his arms around his friend. "I can't believe it! I've been lookin' everywhere for you, buddy!"

"Ditto." Kouji grinned despite himself and pushed his friend off, shaking his head in familiar not-quite-dismay. "You never change, do you, Takuya?"

"What fun would that be?"

"EX-cuse me!"

The two friends turned slightly to find Sora and Naruto straining to try and open the huge door. "We could use a little help here!" The blonde groaned, pulling desperately at one of the huge ropes and getting relatively nowhere.

"You're wasting your breath." Sasuke muttered, standing a few feet away. "There's no way just the four of us could open this thing. It takes twenty people."

"No problem!" The orange dinosaur Digimon, Greymon, growled as he stepped forward, the strange teenager still balanced on his shoulder.

Sasuke and Naruto both leapt back, the former bearing a shuriken without a moment's hesitation, a bright orange-yellow fire in his dark eyes. Literally. The strange teenager looked down at them and gave a big, warm-hearted, cocky grin. "Hey, cool it. Greymon here wouldn't hurt a fly unless he wanted to. We're just helpin' out."

Greymon growled in agreement, reaching forward with his huge claws to grip the edge of the huge doors. He planted his huge feet, giving the boy on his shoulder a moment to brace himself, then let out a muffled-yet-still-loud roar and pulled.

The door opened easily with the strength of the huge creature, however, it was accompanied by dozens of various fire-and-wind-like attacks that suddenly blasted from within. The boy (Taichi?) jumped back automatically with a small cry of surprise, sliding down the huge dinosaur's back, landing on the ground seconds before the Digimon shrank and changed, becoming a much smaller, paler orange dinosaur to more easily avoid the attacks.

"Woah woah woah!" Naruto exclaimed, sliding in front of the attacks and waving his arms. "Cool it, cool it! It's okay, dammit, they're friends! …I think."

"Of course we are!" Takuya snapped, tossing the white ball into the air and catching it in a rather show-offish manner.

The dozens of adult ninja glaring at them seemed not to agree. They stood ready and glaring, bearing half-finished jutsus, shuriken and kunai, mixed liberally with a thick layer of stifled anger and hatred. Automatically, Sora tensed, his hands wrapped around the Keyblade.

"There's no need for that."

Sora jumped. Takuya jumped. Kouji spun around and glared at the white-haired man appearing out of a puff of smoke behind them.

"Gah! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping a foot.

"What were you expecting?" Kakashi asked coolly, turning his one uncovered eye to his charges unemotionally. Behind him, Sakura dropped out of the branches of a near-by tree with a lighthearted giggle, followed not-so-gracefully by Donald and Goofy, who landed in a heap.

"Kakashi." One of the elite ninja raised an eyebrow, but stepped forward. "Are you certain about these…creatures?"

"HEY!" Donald shrieked, waving his wings wildly. "Who're callin' _creatures_?"

Kakashi wasn't fazed in the least, simply raising one hand calmly. "I can vouch for these four…" He pointed to Kouji, Donald, Sora and Goofy in turn. "…Personally. The other three, however, I cannot account for."

Takuya nearly fell over, but the glares of several fearsome-looking elite ninja prompted him to point to Kouji desperately. "Woah, woah, we're buddies! Old buddies! You know, like, friends!"

The older boy and the dinosaur-like Digimon glanced at the mob nervously, then chorused. "We're with him!"

"Enough."

The voice that spoke wasn't loud. Actually, it wasn't even that impressive. It was the slow, half-measured drawl of an extremely old man. But despite its overall mediocre tone, it somehow managed to silence every single voice in vicinity.

The group took in a collective breath as the voice's owner hobbled out. It was an old man, just the way it had sounded, with a long face well worn by age and equally long white hair, beard and all. His eyes were small and beady, bright blue, and he was dressed in long red-and-white robes. On his head was a flat, round hat emblazoned with the kanji symbol 'hi'…Fire.

"Lord Hokage." The man from before whispered in reverence.

"Hoe-kah-gae?" Sora pronounced carefully.

"Hmph…" Kouji muttered rather contemplatively. "…'Fire Shadow'."

Naruto, however, seemed unaffected by the sudden silence. Actually, he shouted, "What do you want, old man?" which prompted Sakura to knock him firmly round the head.

Lord Hokage, however, was unperturbed by Naruto's rudeness…from the smirk that slid over his wrinkled old face, he was used to it…and made his way forward to face Sora with intense blue eyes. "You are the Keyblade Master, are you not?"

"Uh, yeah." Sora brandished the weapon with a slightly confused grin. After all, there had been leaders who had recognized him on other worlds, he supposed the story might be pretty widespread. "That's me."

"Hm…I see." Hokage nodded sagely, closing his eyes a moment in thought, then opened them again. "Then I suppose I should show you the Keyhole and let you get on your way."

This statement was met by looks of shock from Sora, Donald and Goofy (who fell over again), as well as loud, startled exclamations from the gathered adult ninja gathered around the opening to the inner sanctum.

"Lord Hokage!" The stiff-collared man from before exclaimed. "You can't be serious, my lord! Isn't the Keyhole what you instructed us to guard as those creatures…"

"You shouldn't interrupt." Hokage snapped, glaring slightly with his small blue eyes. The ninjas fell silent once again, but most were looking outraged, concerned, or some combination of the two. "Now. As I was saying, Keyblade Master, the Keyhole rests at the center of this building. When the Heartless attacked, we retreated back here to protect and guard it, but if you seal it, we shan't need to worry about that anymore now will we?"

"Well…No." Sora grinned broadly.

"Good." Hokage turned back towards the open doors, and almost automatically, the crowd parted to make way for him. "Now follow me."

"Uh…I think we should come too." Takuya added as he and the other brown-haired boy glanced nervously at the crowd around them. Kouji, though his face was still set in a scowl, agreed in his mind and followed after them.

"Then what're _we _supposed to do? I'm coming too!"

"Oh no you're not!" _SLAP!_

"OW! Sakura!"

"Lord Hokage didn't ask for you!"

…

The Keyhole turned out to be concealed by a large chest of drawers that seemed to hold both a Buddhist-style altar for the dead and several drawers full of strange robes. Donald, Goofy and Sora pushed the piece out of the way, revealing the huge, though plain, Keyhole set into the simple white wall.

Sora didn't have to say anything. Kouji had scanned the room for a moment… obviously something close to desperate for a Window to show him how his brother might be doing…but as he was currently sulking against the opposite wall, this didn't seem to be an issue.

The Keyblade Master raised the long, thin key to point directing at the center of the Keyhole. For a moment it shook in his grip, then blasted forward with a beam of light, hitting dead center in the middle of the hole. Deep inside, there was the noise of a lock clicking shut, and the Keyhole slowly faded away.

Takuya let out a low whistle. "Woah. So that's what that thing can do. I was starting to wonder."

Sora turned around and eyed him in slight confusion. "Um…Not to be rude, but… Who are you exactly?"

"All things considered, we could ask you the same thing." The orange dinosaur piped brightly, his eighteen-year-old companion patting him on the head and grinning down at Sora.

Kouji narrowed his eyes at the unknown teen. "I don't know _you _either."

"Easy, Kouji. Remember that talk about your blood pressure." Takuya joked openly, which earned him a not-so-gentle glare from his old friend. He turned to Sora with a bright smile, showing all his teeth as the square goggles flashed in the light. "Name's Takuya. Takuya Kanbara. Nice to meet you…?"

"Sora." The Keyblade Master grinned, despite the slightly startled look given to him by the older, yet-to-be named boy. So _this_ was the 'Goggle Head' Kouji had been comparing him to this whole time. Interesting…

The eighteen-year-old stepped forward then, holding his hand out to Kouji with a friendly grin. "Nice to finally meet'cha. Kouji, right?" He said with a wink. "Takuya-kun there told me all about you. I'm Taichi Yagami."

Kouji didn't take the hand and eyed him with suspicious annoyance. "That's a Digimon." He said plainly, indicating the orange creature bluntly.

"Uh…Yeah." Taichi blinked slightly and looked down at his companion with minor confusion. "Introduce yourself, buddy."

"Agumon!" The orange Digimon grinned almost as broadly as his friends.

Kouji glanced down at him, then looked up at the most familiar of the strange trio. "Takuya, who _are_ these guys?"

Taichi and Agumon both reacted with a slightly offended 'Hey!'. Takuya just laughed awkwardly, rubbing his head. "Well, that's a…long story."

A short cough cut them all off. The group glanced up to discover Hokage standing at the door, accompanied by several elite ninja, and (though Sora could spot Naruto trying to get a glimpse at them from behind them) most of the adults were glaring at them with a seriously unwelcoming gaze.

"Gawrsh…I think we've overstayed our welcome." Goofy hyuk'ed, backing up just a bit.

"Gee, you think?" Kouji rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"Right then." Takuya grinned hesitantly, motioning to Sora. "So, we'll…follow you out?"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

It is said that all worlds have the same sky.

Depending on your interpretation, this either is or is not true. It is true in the sense that, at night, every world in the dimension of Light can simultaneously see every other world besides their own by merely looking up at the stars glistening against the blue-black sky.

However, this does not mean that every starry sky looks exactly alike. Some are bluer with only the occasional scattered star. Others are pitch black with so many stars you can't imagine seeing anything else.

There are a lot of people, however, who would say that the night sky above Disney Kingdom is possibly the most beautiful and intriguing views in all the worlds. The sky is just the right shade between black and blue with a tinge of deep violet spreads across the edge of the horizon. The stars are bright and clear, and dot the sky over the small world as though they have been thrown there by the hands of some giant.

This is probably why most people seeing this view from the upper towers of the main Castle have the exact same reaction as Takuya: They lean against the edge of the balcony and whisper, "Wow."

"…Wow." Takuya whispered, accompanying it with a low whistle. "So this is where you've been hiding all this time."

Kouji sniffed slightly, leaning backwards against the same banister so that his elbows rested on the edge. "I wasn't 'hiding', goggle-head. I was looking for _you_."

"Oh yeah." Takuya laughed just a bit, straightening as he started to bounce the large, white ball on the floor. It sparked slightly every time it hit, occasionally sending up small balls of orange light. "Guess it just seemed like you were hiding after everywhere we went to…"

Kouji rolled his eyes, shaking his head. He watched his friend bounce the ball a few more times before deciding to speak. "Where did you get that thing, Takuya?"

"What, this?" Takuya caught the ball and turned it over in his hands. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me." Kouji snapped, narrowing his eyes.

Takuya thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to begin as he wandered back into the small room the Queen had given Kouji while he was at the castle. She'd offered something bigger, but Kouji's spartan samurai pride wouldn't allow it.

"Well…" Takuya sighed, sitting in the simple brown chair that was turned backwards against a writing desk. "You remember that night when all this started? The red thunder and all?"

Kouji nodded curtly. "How could I forget?" He muttered sourly, small flashes of his brother being carried off by a stranger cropping up in his mind.

"Right…When we met up out there, then split up again. You went after Kouichi and I was looking for Izumi…remember?" Kouji nodded again, so Takuya continued. "Well, somehow I wound up down in the center of the park, where they were setting up the Tanabata festival…but no one was there, it was just me. And all of a sudden I was surrounded by those…Heartless things."

Kouji nodded again, pressing his friend to go on. Takuya leaned back in the chair thoughtfully. "I thought I was a goner, there was defiantly no way out. And then, outta nowhere, this thing showed up." He spun the soccer ball-like tool on his fingers in example. "All ablaze and everything, bouncing about like nobody's business, ran those things clear off. Saved my life, it did.

"Then it just stopped…right there, at my feet. The fire went out, I picked it up, and, well…" Takuya shrugged somewhat pathetically as he finished. "That's the last thing I remember."

Kouji raised an incredulous eyebrow. Takuya raised his hands in defense. "Hey, hey, don't look at me in that tone of voice!"

The long-haired boy snorted slightly, hiding a bit of laughter, but shook his head in understanding. "Relax, I understand." He sighed. "After all, that was when Shibuya…"

There was an uneasy silence between the two as they mulled over the fact that their home was long gone. Lost to the darkness.

Kouji pushed that thought firmly out of his mind, changing the subject. From across the hall floated the noises of Taichi and Agumon teaching Sora and Goofy how to play 'Rich Man, Poor Man', or at least that's what Kouji assumed he was teaching them, since they called 'Di Hin Min'.

"So…how'd you get stuck with big-hair dude?"

"Huh? Oh, Taichi." Takuya grinned, leaning way back in the chair and tossing the ball up and down with both hands. "After that night, I woke up in his version of the Digital World."

"His _what_?"

"Di-gi-tal World." Takuya spelled out with a smirk. "Did'ja hit your head or something? You remember, the weird place we landed in 'bout three years ago with all the friendly little weird things…"

"Of _course_ I remember." Kouji snapped, sitting on the bed. "But what do you mean 'his' version?"

Takuya sat up a bit more straightly. "Well, he comes from a different world than ours, right?" He quipped. "Apparently our 'world' has two sides to it…Shibuya and the Digital World. Their world is the same way, except that instead of being tied to the Digital World through Shibuya, they're connected through Odaiba."

"What, the same place in our world?"

"Yeah, almost exactly." Takuya nodded. "But their Digital World…Man, it's way different. There's only one moon, not three like ours, and you have to walk _everywhere_. Not a Trailmon in sight! Sounds like a pain, huh?"

Kouji had to agree. Even with the Trailmon, they'd done enough walking to make you want to saw your own feet off. He couldn't imagine having to walk through _everything_ in the Digital World.

"But here's the thing…They can travel between the two 'sides' of their world _whenever they want_." Takuya stressed, looking a little overly-excited. "They don't turn into Digimon like we did, either. They've got 'partners', Digimon who sort've…protect them. Like Agumon back there. Taichi shares a bit of his energy with him so he can Digivolve, and Agumon makes sure nothing happens to Taichi in the Digital World. It's something in the Digimon's programming…they just connect with each other.

"And there's not just a few of 'em, either." Takuya nodded to his friend with a slight smirk. "The DigiDestined…That is, the humans like us. Since there's not really a limit, they've got _dozens_, maybe _hundreds_ of 'em, all over their world. There's about a dozen of them that are the main bunch, including Taichi. They're the ones who found me."

"Found you…?"

"Unconscious. In the woods. With this thing." Takuya spun the ball around again, tossing it in the air. "One of the other's partners…this blue thing, they called it Veemon, I don't know if we ever met one…basically poked me with a stick until I woke up. Annoying thing, that one."

Kouji grinned, mentally attributing this 'Veemon' as just the kind of partner Takuya might have if their world had been a part of such nonsense. "Okay, so how the heck did you get…"

"Hey, guys!" Taichi's voice suddenly rang out, seconds before the door opened and the eighteen year old stuck his head in. "Come on, you two, you've been hauled up in here all day. Let's have some fun."

"What kind of fun?" Kouji asked suspiciously as Takuya jumped up.

"Just a game Goofy told us 'bout." Taichi grinned, as the two 'goggle-heads' grabbed one of Kouji's arms each and set to dragging him out of the room. "Apparently it's something they play here a lot."

"Why don't I trust the look on your face?"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The pale pink sky and expansive yellow grounds of Reikai never failed to be inviting.

Well, at least it was inviting to the girl in the pink kimono currently gliding above the Sanzu River on her oar. She smiled to herself, brushing blue bangs out of her pale pink eyes and tucking her ponytail back behind her shoulder as she flew towards the huge castle set in an expansive white wall.

"Koenma-sama!" She sparked happily, landing easily in her boss's office. "I'm here, just like you asked!"

Sitting at the huge desk, filled absolutely to the brim with papers, was a rather distressed-looking baby dressed in purple. Both his eyes and the hair that peaked out from under the 'Ko'-marked hat were brown, and he held a blue pacifier between his teeth. He glanced up at her from amongst the pile of documents he had been scouring over the moment before.

"Botan." He said simply, and the girl was instantly alert. Koenma only used that tone when something big had happened. "We have a situation here."

"What is it?" Botan cooed hesitantly to herself, raising one hand to cover her mouth slightly in worry.

Koenma slid a packet of papers across the desk, motioning for her to pick them up. Botan lifted the papers and leafed through them thoughtfully, her expression growing more and more concerned. "Sir…I don't really understand this."

"Nor do I, Botan." Koenma sighed, shaking his head. "But we don't have any choice right now. These creatures are multiplying by the day. Soon there'll be so many of them even the humans will take notice. And the Spirit Defense Force can't do squat about them, either."

"So what should we do?"

The child closed his eyes a moment before opening them again with a very serious expression. "Take that file to Yusuke. The Spirit Detective has a new case."

**__**

TBC…

'Rich Man, Poor Man' and 'Di Hin Min' are the same thing, just different names. I got both names from watching/reading the amazing story _Fruits Basket_. And I'll tell you next time how Takuya and Tai got around. There's just no good time to do it here.

**__**

Jiminy's Journal - (A.K.A. - GS's notes on people you need to know for the world of Yu Yu Hakusho, if you don't already)

****

Yusuke Urameshi - The number one delinquent at Sarayashiki Jr. High, Yusuke Urameshi was basically bad to the bone until he saved a little kid from being hit by a car, dying in the process. With the help of Botan and Koenma, he came back to life and is now the Spirit Detective of Earth, hunting down demons who slip through the barrier and solving other Spirit World 'mysteries'. He can use the 'Rei Gun', a concentrated blast of Spirit Energy shot from his finger, and is spiritually connected to his uber-cute little Spirit Beast, Puu. He's also head-over-heels for his old friend Keiko, but he'd never tell her that.

****

Kazuma Kuwabara - The number two delinquent at Sarayashiki, Kuwabara has a real samurai-style code of honor. He can see ghosts and other spirits, which is how he got mixed up with his ultimate rival, that is, Yusuke's Spirit World business. He can use a 'Rei Ken' or Spirit Sword, and is utterly in love with the Ice Maiden Yukina. He keeps claiming that he's going to beat Yusuke, but he doesn't have much of a chance.

****

Youko Kurama (Shuichi Minamino) - Originally a powerful kitsune (fox) demon thief, one of the most feared in Makai, Youko Kurama entered the human world over three hundred years ago. However, he was hunted down and killed by one of Spirit World's elite guards, and to save himself he put his soul into a human embryo, fusing himself with the body. He was reborn as the redheaded bishounen Shuichi Minamino, planning to regain his powers over ten years and escape back to his home world. However, he grew to love his human mother, and stayed in the human world as her loyal son. He controls plants, his favorite being his trademark Rose Whip. He assists Yusuke out of gratitude for the help Yusuke once gave him, saving his precious mother's life, and respects Yusuke very much for what the Spirit Detective did for him.

****

Hiei - The 'Forbidden Child of Koorime', Hiei is a male child born to the entirely-female world of the _Koorime_ or Ice Maidens. As such, he was wrapped in wards and thrown from the floating glacier as a baby. Super-fast and harnessing the power of fire, Hiei became an expert swordsman and high-class thief. He went to the human world to look for his twin sister, Yukina, and eventually stole three powerful items from the vaults of Spirit World with Kurama and the demon Goki. After being brought in by Yusuke, he joined the Spirit Detective on patsy, to earn back his freedom. He can also control the terrible Dragon of the Darkness Flame, which lives as a tattoo on his arm.

****

Botan - The 'Grim Reaper', Botan flies around on an oar and wears a pink kimono. She's bubbly and perky and generally everything you think a guide to death wouldn't be. She helps Yusuke as his 'detective's assistant'.

****

Koenma - The son of the Great King Enma, Koenma comes in two 'sizes'…A baby and a teenager. He's Yusuke's boss. His pacifier has been collecting his Spirit Energy for thousands of years.


	8. Chapter 7: Ningenkai

Wow, I can't think of any snappy author-babble. I also can't think of the conclusion to this world…Damn it, that's a bad thing…

THANK YOU to my beta, SyaoranLover (or as I so affectionately call her, Syaoran-san) She rocks folks, seriously.

**__**

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Or anything else that appears here.

Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts

Chapter 7: Ningenkai

Sora looked up at the second Gummi ship that had docked in the Castle's loading bay. "So, you three get around the same way we do?"

"Yup." Taichi grinned, patting the side of the strange vessel. It was a different shape from Donald and Goofy's, more rounded and slightly hexagon-shaped, bright blue and green rather than red and yellow. "The blocks we used for this thing fell into our world about a few months ago. Koushiro…our main brain, so to speak…and this guy Gennai worked for a while until they figured out it could be used to travel to other worlds. We never had a chance to try it until Takky showed up."

"By the way…" Agumon piped, looking up at Sora, Donald and Goofy. "Thanks for letting us refuel here. We can't go back to our world for a while."

"Gawrsh, why?" Goofy asked, leaning down to talk to the much smaller, orange creature. "Was it attacked by the Heartless?"

"No…" Taichi shook his head. "But that's exactly why we're not going back. The Heartless could follow us and attack Odaiba the same way they did Shibuya and all those other worlds."

The double doors to the loading bay suddenly opened, ushering in a grinning Takuya and a grumbling Kouji, who was drying his hair with a towel. He still looked pretty ticked off about being dragged into a game of 'Blitzio Ball', a curious sport developed in the Disney Kingdom that involved a large amount of a strangely gooey green substance, three separate balls, six goals and the bucket-carrying brooms that seemed to staff the castle.

"Lighten up, Kouji." Takuya was laughing, patting his friend on the back. "You don't have to be so sour about it."

"I wouldn't _be_ so sour if you'd given me a choice!" Kouji snapped, throwing the wet (and goopy) towel in his friend's face. "You dragged me into it, so I consider this your fault!"

Takuya just laughed again, pulling the towel off his face. The strange green goop was hanging limply from his hair, but he didn't seem to mind, tossing the towel away and into its future life as a grease rag.

Sora had to grin, looking around at the group and turning his smile back to Taichi. "So, where to now?" He asked brightly. "You guys wanna stick with us?"

Donald pulled on the edge of his jacket. "I don't think that's a good idea, Sora!"

"Hey, come on!" Sora turned an annoyed eye on his friend. "Haven't you gotten over that kind of stuff yet? Last time you chased Riku off, and…"

"Actually…" Taichi said dismissively, leaning over to pat Agumon on the head. "I agree with the duck."

Sora and Takuya both gaped at him. Kouji raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. Goofy tripped and crashed into Donald, sending them both crashing to the ground. "Whattya mean, Taichi?" Takuya asked.

"Well, we're doing this to look for your friends, right?" The older boy thumbed at the ship behind him. "We've got a different Navi Gumi than you guys. If we spilt up, that gives us two nets of worlds to go through, right? Double our chances of finding your buddies."

"…Makes sense to me." Kouji shrugged.

"Aw, come on, Kouji." Takuya groaned, rolling his eyes. "It was that attitude that nearly got us all killed last time, remember?"

Kouji glared. "I'm not going off on my own this time, and we need to hurry. The others could be in danger, we won't know if they're all okay until we find them."

Takuya raised his eyebrow knowingly. He could tell by the tone in Kouji's voice when he said 'the others' that the long-haired boy was thinking of Kouichi. He always got that little waver in his throat when he thought of his brother in danger. But to jump to that conclusion, he must have known…something…

Finally, the goggle-wearing teen sighed, shaking his head. "Fine. So we go our separate ways for now." He sighed, then smiled. "It's not like we don't know where to find you now. We'll just keep in contact, right?"

Sora glanced between the group as though confused. Finally, after a moment, he grinned and burst out laughing. "Oh, man. You guys are totally weird."

"You're one to talk." Kouji jerked his head in the direction of the pile that was Goofy and Donald. "Look at who you hang out with."

"Hey!" Donald shrieked, but Goofy just hyuk'ed good-naturedly.

Sora burst out laughing. After a moment he relaxed down to a small chuckle and a bright grin, shaking his head at the other humans. "You guys are really somethin'." He sighed, just before he stuck his hand out. "All right then. We'll meet you down the road sometime, right?"

"Of course we will." Taichi stuck out his own hand to cover Sora's. "We wouldn't let ourselves get lost."

"You know it!" Takuya winked, covering Taichi's hand with his own. "If there's one thing I've learned after all of this, it's that friends always find each other again."

Kouji hn'ed softly, but placed his hand over Takuya's. He exchanged a glance with his best friend and grinned. "We'll be in touch."

The four boys looked between themselves a moment, then broke and made their way into their respective ships.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Well, this is a fine mess."

The woman turned at the voice behind her and frowned at its owner. She was tall, thin and lithe, almost to the point of being sickly thin. Her eyes were dark and cold, while her hair was long and curled wildly, varying from a deep red to a dark black. She wore a long, silky black gown and there was a small black tiara sitting on her head.

She narrowed her dark eyes at the man standing in the shadows behind her. "And what exactly are you talking about?"

The man stepped out into the pale light. It was impossible to tell what he looked like, other than that he was relatively small, because he wore the mask and fur coat of a badger to completely cover his features. A small glint of white-hot light twinkled out from within the deep folds of his cloak.

"You know precisely what I mean, Beryl." He hissed in a low voice vaguely like a snake's. "You've sent dozens of Heartless after the Keyblade Master and that other human, and what have we to show of it? The Keyblade is still in its rightful place, and neither the Sword of Light nor the Sphere of Fire have come into our possession."

The woman Beryl sniffed, turning up her nose. "Oh, ye of little faith." She sneered softly. "Need I remind you that you have done nothing at all to help or hinder our cause at all?"

The badger-cloaked man growled, about to snap back, but another voice interrupted them. "That's enough baiting, Beryl."

Both stopped and turned to the owner of the voice. Standing just above them was a tall figure that could be easily confused for a grown man, had their not been a few disconcerting attributes. His skin was far too pale and vaguely gray, thin and papery, especially in contrast to his bright red hair and dark purple lips. His eyes were cold and dark, and he was dressed entirely in blue, blacks and reds, a long cap hanging behind him. All of his clothing was covered in black stitches that formed the pattern of bats, and two sharp fangs stuck out of his mouth.

"Beryl is simply following our plan, Naraku." He whispered icily, his voice full of charm and charisma. "As you are following your part, she has kindly followed hers. We must all work together after all."

"As you say…" Eyes narrowed behind the animal-like mask. "I only hope you know what you're doing, Myotismon."

"There is nothing to worry about." The vampire smirked to himself, chuckling softly. "The Heartless are expendable, they grow so quickly we will never run low. The Ten Items of Legend will fall into our hands soon enough. You will see."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouji stared lazily out the window. One would expect that, when traveling through the annals of deep space, the only thing one would be able to see would be stars, comets and the occasional meteoroid. It was not so, however, as his vision was filled with large, colorful blocks, rings, flat plains, spinning doors and other oddities, not to mention a rather large number of not-so-friendly Heartless ships.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" He mumbled sourly.

"Of _course_ we're going the right way!" Donald quacked from his place at the wheel. "Our navigation system is _flawless_!"

Sora glanced over at Kouji as the dark-haired boy checked his watch. He had to admit, he was getting just a little anxious as well… "It seems like it's been longer than usual. Sure we didn't miss the world or something?"

"There's no way!" Donald insisted in his nasally little voice. "No way, no how!"

"Besides," Goofy hyuk'ed brightly and tapped one of the screens. "If we'd gone past a world, it'd show up here…"

Almost as soon as he said that, the cabin filled with flashing red and blue lights, a loud siren echoing in rhythm with it. Kouji was on his feet instantly, as was Sora. "What the heck!"

"Goofy, what did you _DO?_" Donald shrieked, pulling at the steering wheel.

"Gawrsh, I don't know!"

Kouji grabbed on to the bar, gazing out the window, trying to make sense of everything. A strange blue color had covered his gaze, sparking and glowing like an electrical current. "I don't think it's Goofy…"

"Something's pulling us off course!" Donald screeched. "I can't get it!"

"Give it here!" Sora exclaimed, shoving the duck out of the way and grabbing the wheel. He pulled it up as hard as he could, the airbrakes screaming in protest, but they continued on the increasingly erratic downward spiral. "Nngh…It's no good! I think we're gonna crash!"

The next thing they heard was a sickening _crunch_, vaguely akin to a large paper bag being popped.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

_"I saw them again last night."_

"Who?"

"The Digimon. They were in my dream."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Definitely. It had to be the Digital World, but it was…different. In a good way. Kinda like it was, but kinda not…like there's more than one. A different version of our Digital World, out there somewhere else."

"Another Digital World? You say the strangest things sometimes, Nii-san…"

…

"Kouichi…You were right." Kouji groaned painfully, squeezing his eyes together against a fiercely pounding headache and burying his face in the crook of his arm.

"What in hell are you mumbling about?"

Kouji's eyes snapped open and he was straight up in an instant, his well-trained reflexes shifting into battle mode to tense all over. But as he gripped the helm of the Seger, a thin metal katana had been pressed to his throat, and he found himself staring into sharp, garnet-red eyes. "Don't move."

Kouji growled softly, his grip shifting slightly on the Seger, but remained as still as he could. The only thing that moved was his eyes, giving his assailant a once-over. Though he was on his knees and the other was standing, they were currently at near-eye-level, indicating that whoever it was, they were exceptionally short. A starburst of black hair stood out above a white headband, a thick white streak slicing through it. The hand gripping the sword was wrapped in bandages, but Kouji could see several burns and blisters poking out from underneath. He was dressed mostly in a long, black cloak that covered his entire body, red lining poking out from beneath.

"What the…hell…?" Kouji groaned through gritted teeth.

"I told you not to move." The swordsman growled in a deep voice. So, despite his size, he must have been an adult of some kind. His voice was far too much of a baritone…

"Hiei, we should not assume." A softer, more level voice whispered from behind the dark-haired man. "He feels human, and looks like nothing more than a boy."

The sword was removed, allowing Kouji to glare at the one who had implied that his youth meant he was unskilled. The one who had spoken was a tall figure with long red hair that even Kouji's observantly-trained eyes took time to find if it was male or female. Discovering the truth to be the former, Kouji registered him instantly as a pretty boy. His face was smooth and almost femininely curved, with wide emerald eyes framed by a long mane of strikingly red hair. He was dressed in profoundly Chinese-esque clothing, white martial arts outfit covered by a silky green robe with a Mandarin-style collar and simple slip-on shoes.

Kouji took a step back, gripping the inactive Seger in a defensive posture. "Who are you?"

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Ah. More than just a boy, I see."

"What are you babbling about now, fox?" The little one growled, his garnet eyes not leaving Kouji for an instant. "There's nothing special about his energy."

"True." The taller one smiled. "But a normal human child would not stay so calm in a situation such as this."

Kouji bristled slightly. He hated it when people didn't listen to him. "I asked you a question!" He snapped, thumb hovering over the activation button of his helm. "Who _are_ you?"

"My apologies." The redhead bowed slightly at the waist, and amused smile on his lips. "My human name is Shuiichi Minamino. Others call me Kurama. His name," he motioned to the shorter of the two, who scowled, "is Hiei. I suggest, though, that you direct any questions you may have to me, as Hiei has very little patience for such things."

"Your _human_ name?" Kouji raised an eyebrow.

Kurama just smirked. "Never you mind."

Kouji relaxed ever so slightly, lowering the blade, but his muscles remained tense. He was in unfamiliar territory, with two people he'd never met before, at least one of whom had already proved himself to be particularly dangerous, and he didn't know where his own teammates were. It was not a particularly acceptable situation.

"From your appearance, it would seem that you are not from this World." Kurama mentioned softly, examining Kouji's jacket. It was slightly different than the one he had worn to the Digital World, a dark blue lined with black seams, a dangling silver chain attaching the two sides of the unbuttoned opening.

Hiei sniffed. "I wonder, how certain are we that he isn't one of those creatures?"

"Creatures?" Kouji's eyes narrowed. "You mean the Heartless."

"I see you've heard of them." Kurama hand drifted to his chin in contented thought. "And, from your expression, I'll take it you're not fond of them either."

"Of course not." Kouji snapped, gripping the silver hilt tightly. "Those things took something important to me. I'm going to make sure they pay for it!"

Kurama nodded sagely, the slight smile on his face reading that he trusted the boy's word. He reached into a hidden pocket of his lower layers, removing something that appeared to be a small compact mirror.

_"Please don't tell me he's going to check his face."_ Kouji groaned as the redhead flipped the mirror open. To Kouji's surprise, he spoke into the mirror itself with complete and total impassiveness.

"Come in, Yusuke. We've found a very interesting wrinkle in this case."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Sora tensed, his fingers growing taunt around the handle of the Keyblade. On his right, Donald brandished his Mage's Staff with determination, while Goofy raised his Shield in defense. Every muscle in each of their bodies were tensed to the max, ready for attack.

From the looks of the two boys in front of them, an attack was a logical idea. The first was big and burly, a pompadour of curly orange hair sticking up over his small brown eyes. He was much larger than Sora, with broad shoulders and strong muscles that looked like he could smash through a brick wall. And from the gruff look on his face as he tensed, Sora didn't doubt it a bit.

The other was smaller, leaner and most definitely stronger. He was dressed in green, his black hair slicked back out of brown eyes with a visible amount of hair gel. After all of the fights Sora had gotten into, he could tell when an opponent was good. And this guy was good. Maybe it was his eyes, maybe it was the way every muscle seemed to know exactly where to go, maybe it was…an aura? Whatever it was, he could tell. This guy was good.

"All right, you little creeps." The big guy cracked his knuckles, growling. "Time for some payback, big time!"

"We'll see about that!" Sora tensed. Dammit, didn't they just _have_ to wake up sans Gummi Ship, with Kouji nowhere to be seen, get attacked by Heartless and _then_ run into these guys?

The boy in green smirked, spitting off to one side. "Think you're tough, huh?" He chuckled. "I'll show you who's tough…"

A light ringing sound filled the air, instantly destroying the serious mood. The huge fighter fell over in shock, as the green-clothed punk lost his composure very suddenly. Sora raised an eyebrow and relaxed just a bit as the shorter of the two pulled something small and bluish out of a pocket.

The 'thing' was talking as he flipped it open. "Come in, Yusuke. There's been an interesting wrinkle."

"Jeez!" The boy (Yusuke?) exclaimed. "Dammit, Kurama! We're in the middle of something here!"

"Then it is probably good that we called, before you did something unwise." 'Kurama' said coolly through the device. "Tell me, would this 'something' involve several strangers that don't seem to quite fit in?"

"Uh, yeah, duh!" Yusuke snapped. "It always _does_. It's our job, remember?"

"Stranger than usual, I mean."

"HEY!" Donald shrieked, flipping out as usual. "Who'ya callin' strange?"

The big guy looked like he was about to lunge at Donald, when all of a sudden another voice echoed from the strange compact. "Well, at least they found the duck."

Sora nearly fell over. "_Kouji?_" He exclaimed loudly.

"Duh." Oh yes. That was Kouji. Sora could almost see him rolling his eyes.

Yusuke's eyes widened slightly, then he focused them back on the mirror again. "Kurama, do you know these guys?"

"Not really. But it appears that we seek ends to a common mean."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The burly one asked, leaning over Yusuke's shoulder.

This time, a much deeper and more sarcastic voice answered. "It means 'on the same side', you buffoon."

"Dammit, Hiei!" The big one shrieked, but Yusuke shut him up by knocking his legs out from under him and quickly ended the conversation with this 'Kurama'.

"Fine, so we'll regroup back at Genkai's place. See you there." Yusuke turned his face up to look at Sora as he shut the mirror. He moved past the big guy and held out a hand. "Look, sorry for the attack. We're kinda on edge around here, you know?"

"Hey, no problem. I get it." Sora grinned, shaking his hand. "So…No reason to fight, right?"

"Not unless you want to." Yusuke flexed an arm with an eager grin.

"Um…No thanks."

**__**

TBC…

Damn, my chapter endings suck…

Blitzio Ball - Doesn't really mean anything, but it's very vaguely based on Blitz Ball from the Final Fantasy X and X-II games. I don't know much of anything about Blitz ball, as Final Fantasy games rarely hold my interest for long, so it's probably nothing alike. (FF is just too…traditionally-fantasy for me. I like weird stuff, like Kingdom Heartsand Dark Cloud!)

If you know anything about the original Kingdom Hearts game, you know what's going on with the mysterious anime-villains-in-the-shadows now. And they're some of my favorites. I haven't revealed all of them, yet. But you'll see!

The 'paper bag' comment comes from my recent car wreck. Most people consider the sound to be _BOOM_-ish, but it's really more of a _POP crunch_ kinda thing.

Somebody once asked about Summoning: Well, though they're not going to appear in the story, I have thought of a couple…Such as Agumon, Puu and Luna! You know, fun little things like that.

I redesigned Kouji's outfit at one point to make him look more…Kingdom Hearts-style. It turned out pretty cool, kinda dark, but pretty cool. I don't know where I put the file, though…


	9. Chapter 8: Ningenkai Pt 2

People who've played Kingdom Hearts know about the union of villains that made up the main bosses in the original version. Well, I've attempted to do something like that, except for one small problem: Anime, unlike Disney movies, rarely have villains who are actually pure evil. Take YYH for example. Hiei, Toguro, Sensui, you eventually feel sorry for or have empathy with just about every one of the major villains. It's the same with Yu-Gi-Oh, Inu-Yasha, Naruto (that looser Gato doesn't count), and dozens of others…

And for those who don't know, 'Ningenkai' means 'Human World', 'Reikai' is the Spirit World, and 'Makai' is the World of Demons. They are the three worlds that exist in Yu Yu Hakusho. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your side of things) I thought up a really good storyline for this world, but to flow properly it'll take another chapter. In other words, my plan of having a new world every two chapters is screwed, therefore, this world will take three chapters, rather than two.

Oh, and one more thing…THEY'VE ANNOUNCED A FIFTH SEASON OF DIGIMON TO HIT THE AIRWAVES THIS YEAR, 2006! This was announced at Jump Fiesta, a convention held by Shonen Jump Japan in Tokyo every year and one of the best places for new info on awesome animes. So it's true! Digimon is BACK! My years of pathetic obsession have not been in vain!

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Or anything else that appears here._

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 8: Ningenkai Pt. 2**

Kouji, Kurama and Hiei made their way somewhat slowly through the woods that surrounded the town. That is, it seemed slow to Kurama and Hiei especially, as they had to slow their normal pace so that Kouji, being a normal human, could keep up with them. It annoyed the shorter demon quite a bit, and this was obvious on his face.

"Can't you pick it up?" He growled distastefully, staring down from a long, thick branch.

Kouji glared up at him, leaning against the tree to catch his breath. He wasn't in bad shape, even at home he was more than used to early morning workouts and grueling hand-to-hand matches with teachers and fellow students alike, but he just couldn't keep up with them.

"What…are…you people?" He gulped slightly, taking off again into a light run.

Kurama, who was jogging along beside the boy at a relatively easy pace, just smiled. "In worlds such as this, one must become accustomed to some slightly odd occurrences."

"Odd is right." Kouji muttered, rolling his eyes. "And getting stranger by the minute…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"So you're something called…a Spirit Detective?" Sora asked as he ran next to Yusuke and Kuwabara, gripping the Keyblade in one hand. Donald and Goofy were hot on their heels, all five of them keeping their eyes pealed for any sign of the Heartless.

"You got it." Yusuke grinned crookedly.

Donald glanced up at the humans with a frown on his beak. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Basically? I get to kill demons."

"Hey!" Kuwabara shouted, thumping along behind them. "You mean 'we', Urameshi!"

Yusuke glared at him, a big grin on his face. "Please! _I'm_ the detective, _you're_ just the sidekick."

"Sidekick? Why you little…"

Sora, quite wisely, decided to cut them off. "But why are you going after the Heartless? They're not demons…well, not really."

"It doesn't matter." Yusuke shrugged. "They're the ones attacking people and making a mess out of things around here, so it's our job to get rid of them."

"Gawrsh, that sounds hard." Goofy hyuk'ed.

"Yeah. It's kind of a rough job." Yusuke said in an offhand manner.

"'Kind of' rough?" Kuwabara and Donald exclaimed together, the orange-haired fighter following up with an annoyed comment. "Jeez, Urameshi, that's the understatement of the century!"

"What're you whining about?" Yusuke shot back. "Our job's not _that_ tough…"

As though to prove him wrong, the trees next to him rustled suddenly. With their customary high-pitched shrieks, several dozen Heartless of the Shadow, Knight and Blue Rhapsody varieties burst out from all directions.

"THIS isn't rough?" Kuwabara exclaimed as the four backed up against each other, covering all possible areas of attack.

"Gawrsh, we're surrounded!" Goofy gulped, raising his shield. "This looks like trouble, don't it?"

"This?" Yusuke grinned, popping his knuckles. "This is the fun part."

With that, he charged into the fray, fists flying and an expression on his lips of complete and total exuberance. Kuwabara groaned, but dove in after a moment, producing a huge, glowing yellow energy sword from thin air. Sora whistled slightly, impressed, but didn't waste any time on leaping in, a three-way tag team of himself, Donald and Goofy.

The battle raged, attacks being flung from all sides. As they rushed and crowded around them in a massive swarm, Yusuke suddenly fired something like a ball of blue fire from the tip of his finger, scaring Sora half to death and baffling Donald and Goofy, who hadn't seen a thing and were shocked to find an entire row of Heartless had vanished very, very suddenly.

The Keyblade Master leapt across the ground, dodging trees and strange plants as he went. He slide to a stop occasionally to whack a Heartless or throw a spell their way, but as there were quite a few of them it didn't do much good.

"Donald!" He shouted, firing a blast of fire from the end of his weapon, searing a Heartless away into the fleeting remains of the shadow it had been. "A little support here would be nice!"

Nothing happened. "Donald?"

There was no response. Sora stopped and looked around him, finding himself alone with nothing but Heartless.

"Oh, great." Groaned the Keyblade Master, dashing through the trees with the Heartless on his heels. "We really need a cell phone or something…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Kouji paused a moment, leaning against the roots of a large tree to catch his breath. There was no sign of the Heartless, and he could only assume that they'd been run off…for now, at least. It wasn't much, but they would leave him alone for a bit.

Unfortunately, he now found himself _completely_ alone. In all the excitement of a sudden Heartless ambush, he'd lost track of Kurama and Hiei. This was not a good thing, not at all. As long as he was in this world, he was on their 'turf', so-to-speak, and they knew the lay of the land much better than he did, not to mention the kinds of creatures that might live here naturally. He couldn't explain it to himself, but something about this place made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He wasn't safe alone.

He lifted his eyes to gaze at his surroundings. This tree was on the edge of the woods, opening out into a broad expanse of swampland that looked almost dead. The grass was yellow and wilted, the bubbling springs of sludge perpetually sick-looking.

Kouji approached the edge of the swamp with a cautious, tense stance, the Licht Seger still clutched and ready in his hand, though his arm hung limp by his side. His blue eyes narrowed as he noticed that the tree stretching over the pool was broken: where a branch should have been - and probably used to be - hanging over the sludge there was no more than a shattered stump. It was very unevenly broken and charred lightly, as though it had been shattered by a cannon ball or the likes.

The water itself was dark and murky, rather disgusting now that he was right up close to it. Perilous too, as it was the exact same shade of dust yellow as the grass around it. If he had been in too much of a hurry to watch his step, he would have fallen straight in.

He stepped up to the very edge of the bank, looking into the disgusting slime. His murky reflection seemed…different, somehow. Thinner? He had lost some weight, and that was to be expected, but the boy in the water seemed more lithe, less sinewy than he remembered himself being. And…was that a trick of the light, or did his hair seem shorter…?

A rustle from behind him sent his tense muscles on instant alert. Kouji spun around, lifting his blade in defense as the sound grew closer, the trees and bushes starting to shake.

"Back off! Blizzardga!"

A blast of icy air shot from the Keyblade sent Sora crashing backwards through the dry greenery. He landed haphazardly and slid back several feet, panting a bit.

"Where…Where'd they go?"

"Relax." Kouji sighed and smirked as the brunette jumped. "I don't think they can follow us here."

Sora spun around, ready for another attack, but relaxed noticeably when he spotted the other boy. "Kouji!" He gasped. "How did you…I mean…What do you mean they can't follow us?"

"Beats me." Kouji shrugged, lowering the Seger but not putting it away. "Maybe they're scared of his place."

Sora shivered a bit as he looked around. "I can see why." He shuddered. "This place feels creepy."

"Not as creepy as a graveyard."

"I've fought in one. This is creepier."

Kouji rolled his eyes and turned his back on the other boy, returning calmly to the banks of the swamp-like pool. Sora, the Keyblade still tense in his gloved hand, followed after him. "Hey…" Called the Keyblade Master. "Weren't you with Yusuke's teammates or something?"

"Weren't you with 'Yusuke'?" Kouji asked without turning around.

"I…lost him." Sora blushed a bit and shrugged uselessly. "We got separated when the Heartless attacked."

"Same here." Kouji looked down into the water once more, staring down at his reflection sullenly. Yes, it was definitely different, lithe and thin, almost femininely graceful, the face slightly less rough…

"What're you looking at?" Sora came up to his companion's side, frowning slightly. He didn't like the samurai-esque boy's tight-lipped, standoffish personality. It reminded him too much of Riku, though Kouji was quite a bit worse in the attitude department.

Kouji shrugged nonchalantly, still staring down at the water. "…There's something about this pool."

Something very odd. He could see it now, his reflection's hair was a good six inches shorter than his own, the eyes wide and almost innocent as they looked back at him.

"Huh?" Sora turned his head slightly. "I don't see anything. It's too dirty."

Kouji didn't seem to hear him. Sora turned with a baffled expression as the long-haired boy's breath quickened slightly, his eyes widening in a sudden illustration of shock.

His lips moved slowly with a surprised whisper. "Kouichi…"

"Kouichi?" Sora's brow furled. "Like your brother?"

Kouji scowled at him. "Yeah, that's him." He muttered snappishly, leaning against the tree and looking down into the water again.

"Hey don't get mad at _me _about it!" Sora bristled all over, now utterly fed up with the other boy's attitude. "I know you're worried about him, but you don't have to be such a jerk!"

Kouji glared at him sourly and stubbornly turned away again, crossing his arms and letting the Seger hang loose.

It was Sora's turn scowl now. "Why're you so worried about him, anyway?" He demanded sourly, in the sort of mood boys get into when they just _have_ to pick a fight with someone. "He's your twin, isn't he? You told me yourself, your _identical_ twin! If he's anything like you, he should be able to take care of himself just fine!"

"My brother." Kouji growled in a low, heavily-controlled voice. "Is _not_ like me."

Sora stumbled a bit on that one, his bad mood fading slightly. "Say…what?"

Kouji had a very interesting expression on his face, sort of sad, sort of contemplating, sort of…nostalgic? It wasn't quite the right word, but for all Sora could tell it was close enough. That's also how he would describe the swordsman's voice as he spoke oh-so-softly and carefully.

"My brother…isn't like me." He sighed. "Kouichi isn't as strong or fast as me, but he's gentle…and kind. Like with our mom, he's always so sweet to her. He'd do anything for her, and our friends, too. If it made them happy, he'd do…anything."

Sora frowned slightly, not knowing what to say. Kouji's last words had a certain growling spark in it, one of determination. "I'm not gonna stop until I get him back."

"From what?" Sora asked, and immediately wished he hadn't when Kouji turned to glare at him.

"The Heartless." Kouji snapped viciously. "The night Shibuya was destroyed, a Heartless tricked my brother into going with them. They stole him from me."

Sora's eyes widened a bit. "How do you know that?"

"I…I watched it happen." Kouji gripped his fists so tightly his arms shook. "My brother was kidnapped right in front of me, and I couldn't…couldn't stop them. I couldn't save him."

"Kouji…" Sora's composure was broken all too easily, and he let the uneasy silence hang a long while until he found it fit to change the subject. "Look…we better go find Yusuke and the others. I think those guys know what's going on."

"Yeah…sounds good." Kouji mumbled.

Sora smiled at him, trying to be reassuring. "Don't worry," he said, "If we're right about what we saw before, your brother's gonna be fine. He's with Riku, after all."

Kouji frowned again. He was not at all fond of leaving his brother's well-being in the hands of others. He was reluctant to do so even with their friends - last time he'd trusted Takuya to the task the goggle-head had knocked Kouichi's tooth loose with a misfired soccer-kick - and he couldn't even know if the two were still together, not unless they found another Window.

His eyes dropped once more to the image in the murky pool as Sora started his way back towards the trees. Kouji was sure of it, that was not quite his reflection staring back at him. The face _was_ his, there was now doubt of that, but it didn't matter. They had the same face, after all.

It was Kouichi's reflection smiling up at him. It had to be.

"Nii-san…"

The part of Kouji's mind that had remained childish despite all his efforts was weeping in frustration, the burning, painful ghosts of those tears pushing at the back of his eyes. He crouched down and stretched his hand over the water experimentally. The Kouichi in the pool did the same, a warm smile spreading over his oh-so-familiar face. Their fingers were only inches away from each other in mirrored imitation.

Kouji hesitated, unsure of what he thought he was about to do. If he touched the water would he grasp the identical figures hand? Or would the surface be shattered, and with it, that image of his brother?

"What's wrong with me?" A faint voice asked from the back of his mind, but everything was fuzzy somehow. It was as though the scenery around him darkened and blotted out with running colors until the only things left were him, his brother and that thin layer of liquid separating them.

"_Kouichi…"_

"Kouji?" Sora turned back, somewhat baffled that his companion wasn't following him.

Something wasn't quite right. Sora pinpointed the glazed-over, glassy look in the other boy's eyes as the prime example.…Kouji was _always_ stern, alert and aware, but now he seemed to be sleepwalking. Or he would have been, had he been walking, which he wasn't. He was crouched low over the swamp-pond, the illuminated Seger lying across his lap and grouped loosely in one hand, the other stretched out over the water, as though reaching for the long, sickly white limb that was slowly lifting from the murky lake to grasp his wrist…

Wait, what the heck?

Sora rubbed his eyes, but he definitely saw it. A long, thin arm with the disgustingly pale complexion of one who has been dead for a good month, made ever more garish by the manicured purple nails on each finger, was reaching for the sludge to wrap thin, sickly fingers around Kouji's outstretched arm. The long-haired boy couldn't see it, Sora was certain, there was no way he could be inviting that _thing_ to actually touch him.

"Kouji!" The Keyblade Master shouted, darting forward, but it was too late.

The sickly hand firmly grasped the boy's wrist and dragged him under the surface.

…

A thin stream of bubbles floated from the corner of Kouji's mouth, but he didn't notice. He didn't notice the gathering atmospheric pressure either, or the lack of light as he was pulled further down through the dark, murky water. All he could see or think about was the one holding his hand and staring back up at him with a familiar, longed-for smile.

"_Kouichi…nii-san…"_

"Yes, brother." The other boy spoke into the murky waves, answering Kouji's mental question. "I've been waiting for you, Otouto."

The grip on Kouji's wrist intensified a bit as Kouichi reached up with his free hand to grasp the other wrist, the one hold the Licht Seger.

"Otouto, it's too bright." He whispered, touching the smooth metal casing of the weapon. "It hurts my eyes. Turn it off, Otouto, please?"

Kouji's thumb moved swiftly to the button and shut the device that bothered his brother off. Instantly, the thin beam of the saber-like weapon shrank away and vanished with a slight hiss. "_Is that better?"_

"Much." His brother smiled in the darkness, pulling him a bit closer. "But not enough…yet. It's so bright I can't stand it. You don't need it. Throw it away."

"_But what if the Heartless come?"_ The rational part of Kouji's mind tried to shove itself forward, tightening his grip. "_You'd be hurt."_

"But it's hurting me now." Kouichi's grip on him intensified. "And you said it yourself, the Heartless can't get us here. Please, Otouto, just let go."

Kouji let his fingers relax, each joint uncurling from around the hilt slowly. Besides, if he let go he could hold his brother's hand. He'd wanted to do that for so long now…

"_Ow."_

Something painful shot through his chest, hard and sharp. It was not pain from above or below, but from within. His lungs were screaming in agony, begging to be relieved, straining desperately for air.

A thought suddenly popped into his mind, and it sent him instantly on alert. Drowning. He was drowning, and if he didn't get some air soon his lungs would force him, and he'd die for sure.

He kicked, trying to make his way towards the faded light, but his brother pulled him down. "Don't go. Stay here with me, Otouto."

Something was wrong, Kouji realized. His brother's grip was hard and rough, so strong he couldn't break loose when he tried. Nii-san's grip was never that strong.

"Stay here! Please don't go, Otouto."

Kouichi never called him 'Otouto'. He said it didn't sound right, that Kouji protected him so well that he couldn't be treated like the younger brother.

"It hurts, Otouto. The light's too bright. Let go."

Kouichi's eyes were cold and almost hostile, the grin twisting his normally loving features was devious and…evil.

A deep anger boiled up in Kouji's burning chest. "_You're not Nii-san."_ He sneered, and hit the button to alight the Seger.

The blazing beam seared to life in the darkness, illuminating the murky, sordid depths around them. In retaliation, the creature that wore his brother's face tightened its grip with a vicious snarl.

Kouji struggled, his thoughts now silent, trying hard to swipe at the creature, slash it, kick it, anything to free himself. He was aware, now, of the thin, feminine arms holding him down, threatening to break his wrists now that they had them. The Seger was all but unusable, trapped in a hand bent well away from its target. And, as Kouji knew all too well, he was swiftly running out of air.

"You'll stay here forever," sneered his brother's face in a woman's voice, "whether you choose to or not!"

Kouji's body couldn't take it anymore. With an explosive burst, a large stream of bubbles flooded from his mouth and nose, preparing to draw in a lungful of heavy, deadly water…

Then someone seized him by the scruff of the neck and hauled him to the surface.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Beryl hissed slightly, pulling away from her black crystal and drawing her doppelganger back from the depths of the slimy, spirit-invested pond. She'd nearly _had_ it. If that damned little brat had only just let go of the Licht Seger for a mere _second_, she could have snatched it and added a sixth Tool to her collection.

"That was a nice trick." Laughed a deep, gruff voice from behind her.

Beryl spun around with a serpent's venom in her dark eyes to glare at the very large, rather muscular figure behind her. His skin was the darkened tan of one who has lived all his life in Africa's harsh deserts, his uncut, unruly hair was blonde and fell into long, unmanageable, wild-man tangles. He was certainly dressed like a wild man, his Egyptian-esque white loins only covering his lower half and all but hidden by the mass of animal furs he wore. His excessively muscular, tanned chest was nearly bare, save the long, brown hide cape over his shoulders and a single large pendant. It seamed to be made of glass, as it was pale blue and translucent, dangling from a golden chain by its tip and inscribed with a large red and gold eye. His face was stretched into his normal expression of a wild, gleeful, animalistic grin, his small dark eyes gleaming even in the darkness.

"Anubis." Beryl sneered, stepping forward to face her 'teammate'. "These are my _private _quarters and you are _not_ to enter without _my_ expressed permission. Do you understand?"

"Auw, lighten up." Despite his off-hand comment, Anubis's tone betrayed his ever-serious nature. "If I hadn't come in, nobody would have been around to document your latest failure."

A shock of resentment rippled up Beryl's spine, and her glare intensified. Anubis just smirked at her again and started shuffling through his cards again. Those _damn _cards, the monsters and colors and stars, the same deck he'd been carrying around for centuries that rustled so loudly as he moved them.

"That kid you imitated," he said almost casually, "Holder of the Gravigra Bow, isn't he?"

"Indeed." Beryl smirked slightly. "The one with the Seger would dive into a pool of lava if he thought it would help _that_ one."

"Yeah, but Myotismon's interested in the Bow-user, now ain't he?"

Beryl sniffed. "It seems so."

"So why go after the Light?" Anubis's smirk widened a bit. "We already have the Darkness on our side, whether he knows it or not."

Beryl sneered at him. "I don't know about _you_, but _my_ job is to acquire the remaining four items."

"So you're focusing on the Light-brat…why, exactly?"

"Because, my formerly departed friend," Beryl allowed another smirk to worm over her face. "Once the Light falls into our possession, the others will soon follow…I assure you of that."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Kouji coughed roughly, hacking spurts of disgusting, bitter sludge on the dry ground. His vision was somewhat blurred by his sopping bangs, falling into his face as his soaking wet ponytail dripped minor additions to the puddle beneath him on his hands and knees.

"Easy now." A deep-yet-androgynous voice soothed, a strong hand rubbing his back. "Just get it all out."

Kouji hacked brutally again, shoving his bangs out of the way with one hand to look up. A finely chiseled, almost feminine face framed by long, vividly red hair was looking down at him with bright green eyes. "Ku…Kurama…"

"Indeed." The redhead smiled slightly, straightening back into the kneeling position he had taken before. "It's good to see you have the breath to speak."

"No kidding." Sora's voice sounded from Kouji's other side, where the brown-haired boy had been wringing out the blue and yellow bandana that he now handed to Kouji. "You scared the heck out of me. I thought you were a goner. You're just lucky these guys showed up, or I wouldn't have known what to do."

Kouji spat out one last bit of sludge and wiped his lip, turning his eyes up to Kurama. "You…pulled me out?"

"Not I." Kurama smiled a rather charming smile.

"He did." Sora pointed a white-gloved hand, a grin quirking its way onto his face.

Kouji looked up to find a certain small, black-haired figure tossing a black cloak and scarf over his shoulders, letting it fall around his thin body without any expression.

Kouji narrowed his eyes. "Hiei?"

The smaller fighter turned to him and the two locked eyes. There was a sudden spark in the back of Kouji's mind, and a scene suddenly danced in front of his eyes:

"_Kouji!" Sora shouted into the pond. He was on his hands and knees, staring wide-eyed into the strange, murky depths. "Kouji! Can you hear me? Kouji!"_

_He planted his hands on the edge of the bank and lifted the rest of his body to his feet, ready to dive in after him, but a hand suddenly descended on his shoulder._

_"Hold on." Said Kurama, keeping the smaller boy from pushing off. "That would be rather unwise. When you enter that pool, you will be just as taken by the illusion as he has been."_

_Sora jumped at the sudden appearance from nowhere, but he was focused on the current problem. "If we don't do something fast, he'll drown!"_

_"Indeed," Kurama frowned contemplatively, glancing to his companion, which made Sora jump again. He hadn't realized there were two newcomers._

_Hiei observed the oddly clothed young boy with a stern glare and a light "Hn," as he tossed his cloak and scarf aside. He reached up to grasp the white headband holding his starburst hair back and pulled it loose._

_"Yaah! What the heck…?" Sora scrambled back as the eye on Hiei's forehead opened, glowing lightly with a sickly green color._

_The vertically challenged warrior moved swiftly, not paying the other two any mind as he leapt nimbly into the sludge of the pool…_

Kouji hissed lightly at the sharp pain in his head, but opened his eyes and straightened to cross towards his fellow swordsman.

Hiei narrowed his garnet eyes at the boy. "What?"

"Just letting you know," Kouji muttered tersely, glancing away. "I repay my debts."

Hiei sniffed. "Instead of wasting energy on that, you should teach yourself to be more alert. In enemy territory, you can't trust anyone." He glanced over his shoulder. "Even your brother."

"_How did he…?" _Kouji bristled all over, but held his tongue. He knew better than to pick a fight when he was obviously outclassed. As a result, they wound up facing off a moment longer before Hiei spun on his heels and disappeared into the woods.

Sora watched them with a baffled expression on his face. "Did I miss something?"

"They're quite an interesting breed, aren't they?" Kurama chuckled lightly, coming to stand beside the young Keyblade Master. "I suppose it's only to be expected when two such codes butt heads."

"Codes?" Sora blinked.

"Of honor." The redhead shrugged idly. "Minamoto-kun's won't allow him to leave such a vast dept unpaid. Contrariwise, Hiei's own conventions would never allow such repercussion." Green eyes slid to glance at the young boy with a mysterious sort of smirk. "Quite a conundrum, isn't it?"

Sora didn't really know what a 'conundrum' was, nor did he quite comprehend what codes the older boy was speaking of, but he did understand that Kouji owed Hiei big time. He also realized that Kouji was not happy about this. Not happy at all.

"Well then," Kurama sighed, moving forward. "Shall we follow, before they get themselves lost again?"

Sora nodded dumbly, took the Keyblade in his hand, and darted into the trees after them.

_**TBC…**_

Knight-type Heartless are bouncy, armored Heartless that leap around and slash at you. They also jump over you and land behind you to attack on an annoyingly regular basis.

I imagine that Kouji and Sora would both have some sort of Spirit Awareness. After all, Sora holds a Key to the Heart, and Kouji is one of the most focused characters I've worked with. So they can sense things the same way Kuwabara, Yusuke and the others do. It's just unrefined.

_Blizzardga -_ Level 3 Ice spell.

If you know _Yu Yu Hakusho_, you know that the demon Rando broke that tree's branch using the Spirit Gun technique he stole from Yusuke, dropping the hogtied Spirit Detective into a sludge pool of demon fish. Of course, Yusuke got rid of all of them after a mental prod from Kuwabara…

The graveyard Sora mentioned is the one from Halloween Town in the original game. I love the _Nightmare Before Christmas_ level…

I've decided that all ten items have an official name and a nickname. For example, Kouji's blade is actually called the 'Licht Seger', though Sora calls it the 'Light Saber'. Takuya's ball is the 'Firaga Sphere' and also the 'Fire Ball'. Kouichi's weapon is the 'Gravigra Bow' or the 'Darkness Staff'. (Bow as in bow staff, of course)

Hiei, Kuwabara and Kouji all have unwritten 'codes' that dictate what they do and how they react to things. Kuwabara's is a gangster's policy that consists of many different endings to the sentence "A real man is/does…" whatever. Hiei's is a more animalistic code of survival, with the instincts of both "Look out for number 1" and "Support within the pack." Kouji follows the samurai code of _bushido_, the 'way of the warrior'. He doesn't want your help, but if he gets it from you he'll repay it, no matter what. (He even told Takuya that when they first met, remember?)


	10. Chapter 9: Ningenkai Pt 3

I don't think I described Genkai in any earlier Jiminy's Journal, so I'll do it now: Genkai is Yusuke's mentor, a little old lady who lives in a big shrine and likes to play video games, but don't let that fool you. She's the creator and master of the Spirit Wave technique, and more than once she's kicked Yusuke's stubborn ass to get him to listen to her.

This chapter is UN-BETA'ED, for several reasons. One, this story has been haunting my conscience for quite a while now, and the fact that it hasn't been updated I keeping my awake at night. And two, my beta SyaoranLover-san, is being worked to death at school, and I figured posting this might help her, too. (Please respond to by e-mail, though, Syaoran-san, I'd like to know what's up.) So enjoy it in all of its raw, unread goodness. My conscience is now cleared.

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Or anything else that appears here._

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 9: Ningenkai Pt. 3**

The House of Genkai was large, spacious and very pretty. Kouji found himself liking it the moment they set foot into the delicate, Fung Shui balanced garden and made their way across the large stone pathway that lead to the main house. It reminded him of a marshal arts dojo he'd trained in one summer in grade school, a kind of camp for training in karate and meditation.

Yusuke and the others had, apparently, arrived before them, as the first sight that greeted them inside the house was a little old woman with faded pink hair sending the Spirit Detective flying across a rather vast room.

"OW! What the hell was that for, you old hag?"

"Pay attention, Dimwit!" Snapped the woman harshly, landing and pulling her hands behind her back as she landed easily on both feet. "The last thing we need is for you to lead those creatures here!"

"So what? We can take them!"

"And destroy our only Ningenkai headquarters in the process?"

Kurama cleared his throat lightly, closing the sliding wooden door behind him as he, Kouji and Sora entered. "Master Genkai, we've located our 'stragglers'."

Yusuke rolled over slightly and blinked at the red-haired demon. "Hey Kurama. When'd you get here?"

The redhead gave his friend a bit of a cryptic smile. Hiei huffed lightly and moved past them into the inner chambers of the mansion-like shrine without a word.

Yusuke watched him go with a slightly sour expression as Sora leaned down to help the Spirit Detective sit up. "I see Hiei's as friendly as ever."

Kouji scowled a bit, for lack of anything more constructive to do as he toed off his shoes in the entryway. The old woman, 'Genkai', turned to the group and eyed the two newcomers with the somewhat suspicious caution of one who has seen quite a lot in their time. To his amusement, Kouji found that she was even shorter than Hiei, the top of her head coming up to just over Kouji's waistline. However, if that kick was any indication, that little body packed an awfully big punch, especially for her age.

Interesting.

"So," Genkai eyed the two newcomers with tight-lipped scrutiny, "I'll take it you two are the ones that mangy duck has been squawking about this whole time."

Sora relaxed visibly. "So they're here? Donald and Goofy, I mean."

"Yes, of course they are, the Dimwit dragged them in." Genkai rattled off calmly, ignoring Yusuke's usual protests to her constantly-insulting nickname. Her faded brown eyes were drawn to the Keyblade, the details of which she took in without much question. "You must be Sora. I've heard of you. Should've known the Keyblade Master would be just another kid."

Sora laughed awkwardly, unsure of whether she was joking or not, but was left hanging as Genkai turned away from him and looked up at Kouji. "And who does that make you?"

"…Minamoto Kouji." The boy muttered, and his body moved into a well-trained bow. "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

Genkai smirked. "Nice to see somebody in this world with a little respect." She muttered, with the kind of air that made Kouji wonder if she was teasing him, reprimanding him, or actually being serious.

The old woman turned on her heels smartly, striding past Yusuke and purposefully treading on his ankle. "Get up, Dimwit, there's work to do." She snapped in a tone that Kouji recognized as affectionate. "Inside, all of you. It seems we have a lot of information to sort through, so let's not dilly-dally in here…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

A swirling darkness disappeared into the gloomy depths of the night as Beryl set foot on the sparse grass of this world. Her sharp black high heels sank into the soft earth rather unflatteringly, and the self-hailed Dark Goddess wrinkled her nose in disgust.

The Heartless flocked around her almost instantly, seeking a sort of affection from their most illustrious mistress. The others were cold, they knew, the other three were harsh and mean and selfish, not like the Lady, they knew. The Lady was nice and kind and her darkness tasted oh so sweet and she offered it so freely and in such abundance. Yes, they'd do anything the Lady asked of them, they would, even face down the Light Beast and the nasty Key-thing, they would…

"That's it, babies. Eat as much as you like." Beryl cooed, a light smirk worming its way over her lips as she released a bit of her own dark aura into the surrounding space, just enough to keep the little devils happy. A lone Green Requiem, attracted to her vast magic as well as her infinite darkness, wandered close enough that she could lay her hand affectionately atop its belled head.

"Mommy has a special job for all of you." She breathed in a soft, succulent whisper. Her lifeless purple eyes looked down the slope of the mountain to the softly glowing manor house nestled not too far below them. "Go get your big brother, my darlings. I've got a special gift just for him, and if he does good neither that horrid Licht Sager nor that nasty little Keyblade will bother you ever again."

The Heartless scattered through the mountain range, clicking and chirping eagerly as they leapt through the foliage.

Beryl's smirk widened as she watched them go, brushing her luxurious red hair behind her shoulder. "Such wonderful assets, when you know how to work them."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Despite Genkai's somewhat optimistic instructions, their information turned out to be…not much. A basic summery gave way to some disappointing results: the Heartless had originated from somewhere in the mysterious 'Cursed Forest' that made up most of Genkai's property. However, since the world hadn't disappeared yet and the forest was clearly overrun, the chances of the Keyhole being within the forest's boundaries was slim to none. The only hint they had was the swamp-battlefield Kouji had been lead into, the one place where the Heartless wouldn't, or perhaps _couldn't,_ go.

However, Kuwabara (who was less than willing to return to that particular field of battle and death even in broad daylight) stubbornly refused to travel there at night, while Donald refused to go anywhere after dark and Goofy had already fallen asleep. It was decided then that they would wait out the night in Genkai's temple and go as a group the next morning.

"Hah! I win!"

"No fair!"

Which explained why Sora, Kuwabara, Donald and Yusuke were gathered around the nearest table playing some kind of cross between poker and go fish that only Yusuke seemed to know all the rules to. Kurama and Genkai were seated not to far away, watching in considerable amusement as the Keyblade Master and his trusty Mage friend scowled over their respective hands and Kuwabara cursed Yusuke at the top of his massive lungs.

Hiei had disappeared quite a while ago, before the debate was even over, and heaven only knows where he got off to. Kouji, fidgety and not particularly happy with the current situation (not to mention very un-fond of playing cards) borrowed a bokuto from Genkai's supply of training tools and went into the secluded back garden to practice his technique. On a dummy, of course.

The sawdust-filled little man barely moved as Kouji struck it, but that had something to do with it being tied to a thin wooden post protruding from the ground. Kouji took a deep breath and a small step back before he lunged again, the wooden blade jumping back just a minute bit when it hit the wood.

As he paused to catch his breath, a deep voice from behind him suddenly spoke up. "Your technique is sloppy."

Kouji spun around at the sudden presence, the wooden blade in his hand moving to a defensive block position. Hiei was crouched in the branches of a tree not too far behind him, smirking at the boy in a rather cold, yet aggravating, manner.

Kouji scowled at him in annoyance. "What do you want?"

Hiei didn't exactly respond to his question. For a moment, he hovered there in the branches of the half-grown pine, an unreadable expression plastered on his face. Then, quite suddenly, he drew his blade and lunged so quickly the eye could barely follow.

Kouji didn't have time to think about his reaction, but in a sudden state of surprise his instincts took over. He shifted is grip in an instant, raising the bokuto in front of his face to block the thin, silver blade as it came down on him. The metal sliced through the wood, but stopped half-way, and to the well-trained eye it was obvious that the attacker had held back.

Hiei smirked a bit, pulling his sword back out and dropping to the ground, sliding the blade back into its sheaf as he did. "Hn. Seems Kurama was right."

"What?" Kouji tensed harshly, more than a little put off by the unprovoked attack.

"Not a 'mere' human." Hiei turned away with nothing but a small rustle of his cloak. "But you're still a human."

For some reason, Kouji found himself insulted by the final comment, but before he could think of any kind of comeback, they were cut off by a tremor that shook through the entire building.

Yusuke and Sora were the first to burst out of the door, followed closely by Kuwabara and a bit more calmly by Genkai and Kurama. "What the hell was that?" Yusuke demanded, snapping his head this way and that.

"What makes you think we know?" Kouji snapped, abandoning the bokuto and drawing the Licht Sager from its place. He did not illuminate it quite yet, but held the silver hilt ready to do so if danger presented itself.

Which it did. Rather quickly, too.

The was an almost delicate-sounding shattering noise as the barrier Genkai had erected around her main property was shattered. Seconds later the perpetrator burst through the trees himself with a tremendous roar.

Sora recognized it instantly: A Behemoth-type Heartless, but one grown to a ridiculous extent, expanding evermore on its already gargantuan size. It towered high above the trees, whose tips barely scratched at his belly, and the color scheme was skewed…instead of its normal blue and purple markings, this one was splashed out in dramatic red and black, emphasis on the large, twisted-heart-shaped Mark on its chest. It slammed its huge front paws into the ground hard enough to knock some of the less-coordinated (i.e. - Kuwabara, Goofy, Donald) off their feet, then tossed his head and thrust the huge red horn up at the star-studded sky with an earth-shattering roar.

Yusuke stumbled under the force, covering his ears a bit painfully. "What the hell?" He roared.

"Be careful!" Sora called, whipping the Keyblade from its hiding spot and slipping instantly into an opening stance. "These guys have really tough outer skin! You're not gonna get at them just by hitting them!"

Both Kouji's and Hiei's eyes swiveled around to face the Keyblade Master. Genkai glared up at him as well, a bit more seriously, if that was possible. "You know this thing?"

Sora shifted. "Something…like it…"

"Yeah, we've handled these before!" Donald squawked, throwing his wings out and waving his staff wildly. "So what if it's bigger? We'll take it down!"

"No way." Yusuke slammed one fist into the other hand, a somewhat eager look on his face. "That's my job."

Sora realized what was about to happen two seconds before it did, not near enough time to stop it from going through. Yusuke suddenly burst forward, smallish flames of hot blue fire charging his fists and licking around his ankles for an extra boost as he did.

The Spirit Detective kicked off the ground and shot into the air on small burst of spiritual energy, slamming his fist into the Behemoth's shoulder. The creature stumbled just a bit, moving his legs the most minute distance possible before turning back to swing his front paws at Yusuke and send the black-haired boy flying.

Sora's shout of alarm caught in his throat as Yusuke righted himself in mid-air and landed, a bit roughly, on his feet. He slide back quite a bit before he manage to dig his heels in enough to stop and tossed his head back to throw several loose hairs out of his brown eyes.

"What the hell?" He shouted for no real reason save than massive frustration.

"You can't get them that way…" Sora groaned, shaking his head. After a short moment a determined expression shot across his face. "Just keep 'em busy. I'll get this one!"

Before anyone could object or lodge protests, he shot forward. Kouji rolled his eyes and hissed through his teeth, but dodged nimbly forward to strike at the Behemoth's right foreleg. The white-hot blade passed through the creature, leaving a small red scratch, but otherwise didn't do much more than annoy him.

Kurama slid back into a battle position, bearing his Rose Whip in an instant and moving more defensively that anything else. Hiei vanished occasionally with bursts of speed, re-appearing all around the creature to lunge minute pin-pricks into the thick skin. Kuwabara had a blazing orange Rei Ken in his hands, but was dancing around near the edge of the battle to avoid being crushed by the huge creature's feet, while Yusuke bounced in and out with well-trained street fighting skills, throwing his fastest spirit-powered punches and kicks. Donald was casting thunder magic, focusing on the horn at the top of the Behemoth's head, while Goofy crouched behind his shield and bounded throughout the battle.

This entire time, Sora had been gradually working his way up the huge creature's hindquarters, moving with his vast, hopping leaps and keeping his balance throughout the entire mess. With a great twisting bound, he leapt to the very tip-top of the Behemoth's head, slamming the Keyblade down on the ruby-red horn with all of his might. Bright red sparks shot from the strike, the first real damage of the whole fight, and the gigantic Heartless reared back in a pained roar that echoed through the area like cannon fire.

"GAH!" Kuwabara stumbled back, his hands over his ears. "Crap, that's loud!"

Kouji gave a light grunt, covering his own ears against the violent noise, and rolled his eyes. Then he cursed himself for sounding so much like the little swordsman behind him.

Sora nearly fell as the Heartless suddenly turned and ran through the trees. Or, more accurately, ran over the trees, as they were all too easily felled by the massive beast. Sora flailed his arms a moment and grabbed onto the horn steadied himself, belatedly realizing that he wasn't holding the Keyblade seconds before he spotted it tumbling towards the ground. "Oh no!"

"Hang on!" Yusuke shouted. He leapt forward and snatched the Keyblade in mid-air, nearly hitting the ground himself as he did. He pulled himself unsteadily back to his feet, staring at the blade shaking his arm in surprise. "Woah, this thing packs a punch!"

"H-Hey!" Sora shouted as the Behemoth started to vanish in the distance. "I could use a hand here!"

"Just hold on!" Donald shouted, and took off after it with Goofy and Kuwabara on his heels. Yusuke was just ahead of them, still struggling to keep control of the Keyblade, which didn't seem to be too happy without Sora around.

Kouji sighed and put a pained hand on his forehead. "It's not like we could lose them." He mumbled in annoyance, glancing at the huge pathway through the trees carved through the creature's fierce charge.

Kurama paused a moment to offer the boy a light smirk of amusement, then followed after the rest of the group, Hiei flitting along through the trees which were still standing. Kouji gave one last aggravated sigh and took off after, mumbling under his breath.

The pathway seemed shorter than it should have been, but that was only because it was so very wide. The great Heartless broke through the rows and rows of trees with spectacular ease until there were no more trees to break through, charging uncontrollably through the barren, misty lands of the vast, haunting swamp.

"So much for not being able to come here." Muttered Hiei, and Kouji scowled at him.

Yusuke, however, looked excited. "All right." He grinned, increasing his grip on the Keyblade to make sure it didn't dart out of his grip. "Two birds with one stone, right guys?"

"Be cautious, Yusuke." Kurama warned. "We don't know what this field's spiritual powers could do to that creature's strength."

Hiei sniffed in disdain, shooting forward in a ready strike. With all the speed and skills he had trained over his hundred-some-odd years of demon life, he aimed for the easiest route to the creature he could. But before he could quite get to it he slid to a sudden stop and changed direction, just in time to avoid being caught under the creature's massive claws.

"Hey, shrimp, what're you doing?" Kuwabara shouted. "Kurama said to be careful!"

Kouji, of course, had already figured it out by the way Sora was clinging to the creature's palpable head ornament. "The horn is it's weak point. Get something up there and let's get rid of this thing."

"I will once I get a clear shot!" Yusuke shouted back, dancing in range and out of range of the monster's attacks. "Hang on, Sora!"

"I'm t-trying!" The Keyblade Master hollered down, gripping the horn for dear life.

Kurama seemed to think the time was ready for his brand of attack. He dodged forward swiftly and gracefully, bearing his Rose Whip as he moved to wrap the thick vine around the creature's right foreleg. He slid to a stop and pulled the whip taunt, the token measure managing to hold the creature's leg to the ground, the thorns digging painfully into its thick hide.

Hiei darted forward the moment the Heartless's attention was focused on the fox. His blade sunk deep into the left forearm and, unfortunately, stuck, leaving the swordsman's side open to the Behemoth's violent response.

Even with his speed, Hiei barely had time to glance upward before he suddenly found himself in the air, flung by the force of the monster's sudden strike. His small body slammed into one of the huge trees, causing quite a dent, and he dropped to the ground in a mild stun.

Kurama was the first notice the impending danger of the huge falling tree looming over his partner's muddled head. "HIEI!"

Garnet-red eyes shot up to glare at the huge slab of wood descending on him, sucking in a breath of air and urging his legs to move, but the order was denied. The shadow grew large and a sickening crack filled the air as the tree came down…

Kouji suddenly leapt from the right side and brought the Licht Sager up to meet the wooden trunk with all the strength he could muster. The weapon, as well as being formidable in its own rights, was so well in-tune with its master's personal strength that it splintered the huge trunk right over Hiei's head. One half landed in front of the fire demon and one behind, but all that actually hit him were a few long splinters and pangs of bark.

Kouji landed hard on his feet and, obviously unprepared for the backlash of suck and attack, trembled for a moment before falling backwards to the ground. He gasped for a few good breaths, his eyes crossing in a mild stun, but managed a small smirk when he remember what had just transpired.

Yusuke slid to a stop and glanced around him, finally satisfied that he had a good position. "HEY, SORA!" He roared, twisting his arm back. "CATCH!"

He flung the Keyblade up with all his might. Sora released the horn and leapt straight into the air to grab his weapon, gripping it in both hands as he came down. "Thanks!"

"Don't thank me yet!" Yusuke grinned and pointed a gun-like finger at the Behemoth's two front legs. "Rei Gun!"

The Heartless reared back to avoid the huge blast of blue-white spirit energy, which shot past him and exploded the only dead tree still managing to hang on to some semblance of life here in this barren wasteland. The distraction was just enough to bring the horn within Sora's best range of attack, and he took advantage of it, bringing the Keyblade down with both hands and striking with all of his might.

With an immense roar and a shower of red sparks, the horn shattered into a million pieces of star dusts. The Heartless screamed another deafening scream and twisted as it fell. There was just enough time for Sora to slide down its backside and land on the ground safely before its shadowy body faded in the light of the steadily-rising sun.

"That'll do it." The Keyblade Master grinned, watching the monster vanish. "Good guys one, Heartless zippo."

Kouji sat up, gasping a bit to force the air back into his lungs. He glanced over at Hiei, who was recovered from his own stunned stated and was glaring angrily out into the field.

"…An eye for an eye." Muttered the younger swordsman.

Hiei glanced at him coldly and gave a light grunt in response.

"Hey guys," Kuwabara called, pointing in the direction of Yusuke's last Rei Gun attack. "Check it out. Something freaky's goin' on."

The tree had splintered and most of it gave way, leaving a single piece of wood standing in the middle of the swamp. Engraved in said wood was a black hole of infinite darkness, surrounded by a halo of shining blue light defining its very distinct shape - the Keyhole.

Sora straightened and approached the Keyhole with caution. In his hand, the Keyblade jumped a bit and trembled, ready to seal the pathway to this world's Heart, begging to be used.

Kouji's blue eyes were already scanning the landscape anxiously. They caught sight of a bit of movement beyond the water but, remembering his previous encounter with this particular swamp, was very careful as he made his way slowly to the edge of the bank. He craned his neck and gazed in, careful to keep a certain distance from the murky water's edge.

"Sora." He called softly. "Take a look at this."

The Keyblade Master came at the beckoning call, as did Yusuke, Donald, Goofy and an overly-curious Kuwabara. Sora's blue eyes widened a bit in surprise. "Holy…"

"What the hell is that?" Yusuke asked out loud, leaning down for a better look.

It was a Window, just as they had hoped there would be, but neither Kouichi nor Riku nor the King could be seen through it. What they could see was beyond anything they had ever imagined.

Sora was reminded of the brief glimpse he'd had through the Door of Kingdom Hearts, the pathway he'd seen into the Realm of Darkness. It was gloomy and black, practically impossible to tell what was happening in the mass of moving shadows. Or, rather, the mass of moving Shadows, as the window itself was nearly completely and utterly covered by Heartless.

Squirm, writhing Heartless climbed over and around each other like a massive plague of ants, their antenna twitching and their legs leaping with every single spasm-like motion. Now, Sora did not pride himself as an expert on Heartless, simply because he knew better - they were creatures that could never be truly understood by those of the light - but he has seen enough of their motions and life to realize what was happening in startling realization.

They were dancing.

They bounced, they hopped, they spun and twirled with and around each other like some twisted Danse Macabre. There was probably music playing, why, their movements were so rhythmic that Sora could almost imagine the twisted strains and piercing notes curving around his mind…

Goofy cocked his head to one side in confusion. "Gawrsh, what's going on?"

"They're celebrating something." Kouji muttered, and Sora glanced at him in surprise.

"Okay…" Kuwabara straightened and crossed his arms over his chest. "But what would those freaky bugs have to celebrate about? We just creamed 'em."

"Whatever it is," Kurama's soft voice managed to startle everyone, as no one had quite realized when he'd slipped up behind them. "It is probably not in the best interests of the Worlds in Light."

There was a long moment of silence as the group mulled this over. Finally, Kouji sighed and straightened, turning his back to the pool and moving away. "Seal the Keyhole, Sora."

"Kouji…" Sora straightened as well, noticing the undertones of disappointment in his companion's voice.

"The Window's useless." Snapped the Light-warrior, cocking the Licht Sager over his shoulder in a somewhat comfortable manner. "And the sooner you close that stupid hole, the sooner we can get out of here."

Sora nodded quietly in understanding, turning towards the single piece of tree still standing in this dead field. The Keyhole twinkled and seemed to wink at him brightly. It knew who he was, they always did, they were waiting for him to lock them closed and expel the Heartless from deep within their bowels…

Sora lifted the Keyblade and lined it up with the center of the Keyhole. A beam of light shot from the edge of the blade and penetrated deep into the darkness of the very world's center. There was a small sound of a lock clicking into place, followed by the gentle tone of a single bell, and the Keyhole slowly faded away.

"That's it." Sora grinned, spinning the Keyblade around and stowing it away. "All done here. Think it's time to get going, guys?"

"There's just one problem." Donald squawked, waving his Staff angrily. "We don't know where the ship is!"

"Oh yeah." Goofy hyuk'ed, rubbed his head awkwardly. "I wonder what happened to it after we crashed…"

"Yoo-hoo, Yuuuuusukeeeee!"

The perky voice dropped out of the sky with a sort of rolling tone, a proper announcement for its speaker as she soared down in mid-barrel roll, riding an oar that seam. She righted herself properly just before she reached them, her pale blue ponytail bobbing with curls as her pink kimono ruffled around her in the wind.

"Well, it looks like you've gotten most of this taken care of, have you?" She giggled brightly, her pink eyes sparkling brightly. "That's good. Another mission well taken care of!"

"Botan…" Yusuke mumbled in a mildly threatening manner, happy enough to see the girl but obviously a bit annoyed with her perky attitude.

"Aren't we grumpy?" The girl leapt nimbly off the oar, tossing her head as she did so. Scanning the group, her rosy eyes fell on Sora, Kouji, Donald and Goofy. "Oh? And who's this? I haven't met you before, have I?'

"Uh…no." Sora took a step back, slightly unnerved, and Kouji raised an eyebrow in scrutiny.

Botan stared at them a moment longer, then tossed her head lightly with a giggle. "Oh well. It's not like a fair amount of odd things haven't been happening lately. Why, after those nasty little bugs showed up, Koenma had to put up that special barrier to keep their ships from coming in. And then we accidentally pulled in the strangest looking craft I've ever seen, no pilot, no crew, no…"

"What kind of craft?" Kouji demanded instantly.

"Like I said, it's kinda weird." Botan smiled brightly, not pausing for a breath. "Really brightly painted and it bounces, too. Our technicians in the Spirit World have been trying to figure out how it ticks, but they can't take it apart because they can't find any screws or anything to undo! All the pieces stick onto each other like super glue or something…"

The effect was instantaneous and a bit shocking, as Sora, Donald and Kouji all reacted with an instant chorus: "_THAT'S OUR SHIP!"_

"TAKE IT _APART?_" Donald screeched.

"Gawrsh, we can't get home without that!" Goofy added hastily. "We need that ship in one piece or we're stuck here, hyuk!"

Botan, who apparently hadn't been ready for such an explosive outburst, toppled backwards over her oar and had to right herself before she could answer. "Goodness, that would be a problem, wouldn't it?" She laughed awkwardly, rubbing her head. "We better get back to Spirit World real quick then, and tell those techno-geeks not to…do anything…"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kouji asked sourly, crossing his arms.

"Er…right…" Botan gulped a bit, feeling intimidated, and mounted her oar once again. "I suppose that means…all aboard?"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Beryl would have spat, had the action not been so distastefully un-ladylike.

However, the action would have been much more satisfying than sitting in her private quarters, arms crossed over her chest angrily and scowling at everything that moved, squirmed, buzzed or just sat there inanimately, which is what she was doing at the moment.

That Behemoth, she decided, had been a waste of her magic, why, even with its power multiplied ten fold he couldn't make a dent on those miserable little bugs. As a matter of fact, it had done exactly the opposite - leading those little brats straight to the Keyhole! And the Window! If they figured out what was going on in the other half of the Worlds…

No. She couldn't think of that now.

And why was she? A new ray of confidence cut through the shadowy doubt that had fallen over her. She had nothing to fear! Already, thanks to her, they had five of the Legendary Items in their possession…six, if Myotismon's claims about the Gravigra Bow and its wielder were to be believed. Compared to that, the Keyblade and the Licht Sager were of little consequence.

There was, of course, the problem of what the others would say…Just _thinking_ about the look on Anubis's face when he discovered her latest 'disappointment' made her want to throw something. It wasn't like _he_ could do any better, if he ever got off his lazy butt and tried…

Maybe that was the way to do things. After all, that stupid 'pride' he held as a 'gamer' would never let the blowhard back down from a challenge…

A slight laugh bubbled out of her throat as she stood, setting out to find the fur-laced wild man and issue her challenge. This, she decided, could actually be fun…this could be a lot of fun indeed…

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Donald dropped down from the hatch of the red-and-yellow ship, landing on his webbed feet with a rather vocal sigh. "Everything looks like it's in one piece." He reported nasally, waving his wand at Sora impatiently. "Which means we're ready to go. Come on, get a move on!"

"Keep your feathers on." Yusuke rolled his eyes at the wizard in annoyance. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned back to the smaller group gathered in front of him. "So, you really headin' out?"

"We can't stay here." Sora shrugged, a light grin on his face. "I've got to find my friends, Donald and Goofy are looking for their king, and Kouji has to find his…"

Kouji not-so-discretely stomped down on Sora's foot as hard as he could. The brown haired boy choked on his words and nearly bit his tongue, giving his companion an annoyed glare as the pain subsided. The message, however, was clear enough: "_My business. Shut up."_

Yusuke, used to such 'subtle' hints from people like Genkai and Keiko, just laughed. "Okay, got it, you've got your own problems to take care of." He grinned brightly, holding out a hand to Sora. "Just make sure to stop by sometime and see us, okay?"

"Yeah…sure." Sora shook the offered hand. "You got it!"

There was a wild sound from not too far down the hall, something like a high-pitched yelling echoing off metal shelves and accompanied by a rather stressed-out, deepen tone begging for a little control. The noises ushered in a small purple projectile which, on closer examination, turned out to be a baby wrapped in purple clothes.

"Outta my way! Coming through!" Called the toddler as he came barreling through the air. He screeched to a stop in mid-air right in front of Sora and Yusuke.

"Yo!" He proclaimed in a nasally little voice, raising one hand and grinning sheepishly. "Nice job on that last case, Yusuke. Another apocalypse aversion down on your record, huh?"

Yusuke scowled. "Yeah, no thanks to you, you little brat."

"And that means you must be the Keyblade Master!" Pointedly ignoring Yusuke's sarcastic remarks, the toddler swung around and lowered himself to hover at Sora's eye level. He offered up a pudgy hand and drew himself up as regally as a baby could. "I am Koenma, supreme ruler of the Spirit World, and I thank you for your assistance."

"No problem." Sora shook the tiny hand, sending the Prince of the Spirit World bobbing up and down.

Koenma quickly recovered from this ungraceful act and brushed himself off, still managing to keep an ever-diplomatic smile on his lips. "I don't want to keep you too long." He laughed awkwardly, hovering a bit further from the group. "Just wanted to apologize for the inconvenience, but I don't have time. Botan, apologize for me! I've got papers to do."

With that, he took off down the hall again at top speed, the blue ogre in the tiger-print loincloth who had only just caught up with him having to turn around and follow the hyperactive toddler back down the long halls.

There was a bit of stunned silence in the group, then Donald spoke. "Well, that was weird."

Kouji held back a rather sarcastic comment and turned towards the ship with a very light smirk on his lips. The expression disappeared rather quickly, however, as a sudden presence behind him made the boy turn around.

Hiei was standing there, his body completely hidden by the long cloak and white scarf. He was scowling and his red eyes gazed off to one side in an awkward manner.

"Good luck." He muttered, pointedly refusing to make eye contact with Kouji. "With your…twin."

Kouji blinked at him, especially since he didn't recall mentioning that Kouichi was his twin to the smaller figure. But then he caught a glimpse of the third eye across the other's forehead, glowing lightly beyond the white headband, and noticed the small, pale blue sphere dangling around his neck contemplatively.

A slight smirk worked its way onto his face in understanding. "Thanks." He sighed, brushing his hair back. "You too."

Then he turned and followed Sora up the gangplank and into the Gummi Ship.

_**TBC…**_

If you think Kouji sounds a little formal when he's introducing himself, there's a reason for that. What he said in Japanese would be, "Minamoto Kouji desu. Douzo yuroshiku." (May or may not be misspelled, give me a break…remembering Hiragana/Katakana spelling translation is a pain in the arse) The last two words are just trying to be polite, since Genkai is obviously his elder. I told you he has an honor code.

Behemoths are huge Heartless that only appear in the very lowest level of "Hollow Bastion" and in "The End of the World". They are very annoying, but easy enough to beat. You just have to climb up their hindquarters to the back of their head, where they can't get you (always easier using the Double Jump and Glide techniques) and whack the heck out of their horn. It takes a long time, though…they've got around five or six bars of health to work through.

Note that, since this story is mostly written from Sora's and Kouji's P.o.V., we see things the way they see them. Since both have a bit of Spirit Awareness, a.k.a. 'Sixth Sense', they can see Kuwabara's Rei Ken, Yusuke's Rei Gun, and the subtle bursts of spirit energy behind their various punches that make them so powerful. Donald and Goofy, who don't have that kind of Awareness, can't see any of it.

"_another apocalypse aversion…"_ - Yusuke and co. have saved the world from destruction no less than three times: Against the Four Saint Beasts who wanted to take control, against Toguro and Sakkyo's plot to open a tunnel into the Demon World, and against Sensui's plot to do the same in order to try to kill all humans.

Dammit that fight scene was horrible…I worked on it for two weeks and it was still horrible, This whole world has just been a disaster…too many characters to juggle, it was just a nightmare.

The next world is…interesting. It's not an anime world, it's from the original Kingdom Hearts, and trust me, some old faces are going to turn up. Oh, and we get to see what Takuya and Taichi are up to, so I get to screw with their heads a bit by doing something completely random. Stay tuned!

Oh, and just for fun and to keep you busy until the next chapter: What do you think 'Puusuke's special skill would be as a summoning monster? I think he'd use 'Aero' type magic by either (in muscular-type phoenix mode) flapping his wings to create a tornado or (cutesy little 'baby penguin' mode) blowing a beam of wind and spirit energy out his beak like a cannon. What do you think?


	11. Chapter 10: Destiny Islands

(blushing) Dammit dammit dammit! I can't believe I accidently posted chapter 9 again… that's so embarrassing…(curls up in a corner…please go on to the pre-arranged author's note)

Yea, plotful world! Very plotful! Oh, and I get to screw with Taichi and Takuya's heads, which is just plain fun. Hope you enjoy it, especially since some certain friends are along for the ride…

Man, I just realized that this fic has been going on for over a year and only has ten chapters in it! I'm sorry, everybody. I'll try to do better, I really will! I will do better, I promise, so please stay with me! (low bow)

_Kingdom Hearts 2_ is so utterly and totally cool! I just adore it! Axel and Naminè have the best voices, the game-play is just awesome, AND they finally reveal the mystery behind the constantly-rumored 'BHK' also known as tragic hero Roxas! It's sooo cool! I'm going to wind up putting some stuff from it in here, but nothing MAJOR. (For example, Organization XIII won't show up here) Just a few little things I find really captivating. Stay tuned.

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Excel Saga and the City of F are property of manga-ka Koshi Rikto, who is crazier than I am._

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 10: Destiny Islands**

The Gummi Ship scooted along through interplanetary space with low puffing and humming noises, squeaking occasionally as the rubbery pieces rubbed against one another, the colorful machine dodging Heartless ships and colorful pieces of junk.

Kouji wasn't paying any attention to any of it. He was snoozing against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, completely indifferent to everything happening around him. One of the ship-staffing brooms wandered up to him, picked up his feet, swept the dust out from under his legs, and set them down again without the teenage swordsman ever stirring an eyelid.

Sora felt a bit envious. Kouji seemed to have the best of both the waking and sleeping worlds - acute senses and observational skills when he was conscious, utter and complete oblivion while he slumbered. Sora had always been a restless, unfocused sleeper, but his most recently added teammate might as well be dead for how well he slept.

The Keyblade Master sighed and leaned over to stick his head in next to the driver's seat. "We there yet?"

"Almost." Donald squawked, jabbing a wig-thumb over his shoulder. "You should be able to see it any second now."

Goofy hyuk'ed to himself brightly, standing to lumber back to the rear half of that cabin. "Gawrsh, I wonder what kind of world it'll be this time."

"Well, let's look." Sora braced his hand on the windowsill and leaned down for a good peek.

…

"No way!"

Kouji shot awake, his keen ears mistaking Sora's eager exclamation for a cry of warning. "What is it?"

Sora pressed his gloved hands to the window, blue eyes sparkling wildly and a wide grin across his ever-expressive features. "It's…my island!" He gasped, blinking happy tears from his eyes. "My home!"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Takuya whistled slightly, looking around at the glistening silver city he and Taichi were making their way through. Agumon was with them, of course, but he wasn't quite himself. He was wearing an extra-large brown trench coat and a big hat to hide the fact that he wasn't exactly a normal tourist.

"This is different." Takuya commented, bouncing the white 'soccer ball' off his knee harmlessly. "I don't see that many Heartless around here, do you?"

"Nope." Taichi shook his head and sighed, glancing around. "Seems pretty quiet, too…"

His words were cut off by the echo of a loud explosion, rippling through the steel-lined streets of the city as a large red-and-black mushroom cloud appeared over the top of the buildings. "Taichi, there!" Agumon shouted in warning, his hat flying off in the resulting mini-shockwave.

"I see it!" Taichi tensed up and burst into a run. "Come on, let's go!"

Takuya was right on his heels in a mad dash through the city, Agumon leading the charge towards the billowing cloud of smoke. They expected to find a crowd of Heartless swarming around the wreckage site, people running in fear, more and more shadows popping up as hearts were devoured…

But instead they found the half-baked, lightly charred, smoking ruins of an average small-business building, with a small crowd of people standing and staring as though it were some kind of fascinating show.

The two boys stopped a short distance away and stared blankly. "Do you think this happens…often?" Takuya finally asked. Taichi shrugged.

"WOW!"

The two brown-haired boys turned their heads to find a rather hyperactive-looking young woman with a long, thick blonde ponytail standing not far away, her hands planted defiantly on her hips and a wide grin on her face. "Look at that, Haa-chan! Another glorious victory for our Secret Ideological Organization ACROSS!"

"Lord Il Palazzo should be most pleased." Nodded a pale, dark-haired woman beside her. Then she coughed weakly and wiped what looked like blood from the edge of her mouth. "But perhaps we should take care not to attract unwanted attention, Senior Excel."

"EH?"

The blonde followed her friend's pointing finger to the two young boys and one little orange dino-creature staring at them. She freaked out almost instantly, backing up several feet. "Woah-woah-woah! Did you just hear that just now?"

"Uh…yeah." Taichi deadpanned, raising an eyebrow.

"OH NO!" The blonde spun to her friend, loud voice echoing slightly. "What should we do? What should we do? What is the procedure for this kind of information breech? Shall we eliminate them, Haa-chan?"

The three travelers were stunned into a sort of silence. "…Eliminate?" Agumon mumbled.

"Senior Excel?" The dark-haired girl quietly interrupted her friend's tirade. "Perhaps we should let Lord Il Palazzo decide what to do with them?"

"Of _COURSE!_" The blonde returned almost instantly to her determined hands-on-her-hips pose. "Lord Il Palazzo always knows what to do! He'll know what to do with these spies!"

"You were the one who yelled everything." Takuya muttered, pulling the Ball under his arm, but could only just react as the blonde grabbed his freed wrist and started dragging him down the street.

"COME ON, LET'S _GO!_"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

The minute the Gummi Ship touched down on the shores of the largest Island, Sora leapt from the cockpit and bounded across the sands of the nearest beach, a wide grin spread across his face like a madman. Kouji followed behind him, a bit more cautiously, but he was curious as to what Sora's home was like.

It was a very beautiful place, he had to admit, with long white-sand beaches bordering gorgeous blue ocean that was so blue and clear you could see all the way to the very bottom. Dozens of fish darted back and forth across the sandy bottom, dancing through the loose, rustling seaweed. The trees towered above them, colorful and bright and heavy with fruit, reaching high into the sky. Levels upon levels of platforms worked their way over the entire island, connecting huts and shacks with rope-bridges, ladders and long poles. This island was small and practically uninhabited, more like a giant jungle gym than a place to live.

Sora dashed across the sand with wide, excited leaps and let out a delighted whoop. "I'm _back_!" He shouted, and the cry echoed through the island.

A clump of bushes ruffled and a curious head popped out, belonging to a young boy with a messy mop of light-brown hair on the top of his head. "What's all the racket?"

"Tidus!" Sora slid to a stop and grinned up at the smaller boy. "Hey, buddy! Look who's back!"

"Sora?" Tidus blinked once and rubbed his eyes. When Sora refused to disappear and just grinned wider, the stranger's face spread into a startled grin. "Wow, Sora! Hey everybody, Sora's back! Sora!"

Tidus dropped from the tree, his excited calls echoing through the wooden interior of the island. There weren't many people there, but one by one a few curious heads popped out of the bushes and trees and huts, then reacted very much the same way as the first, cheering and waving.

Sora waved to his friends and called excited greetings, but kept running down the sand at top speed. There was someone he wanted to see very badly, that much was obvious, and he was going to do that before anything else.

"Kairi!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, racing towards a small brown shack at the end of the beach. "Kairi! Kairi!"

The wooden door opened slowly, a girl's head poking out of the crack. She was rather pretty, with blue eyes and dark red hair that ran straight down over her shoulders without curl or interruption. She wore a small, cute pink and white dress decorated with zippers, a thick belt dangling from her waist, and white shoes with the black laces running up her ankles.

She gasped, unable to speak for a moment, then took a deep breath rather hesitantly. "S-Sora?"

"Kairi." Sora's grin spread even wider. Donald and Goofy glanced at each other with bright, knowing grins.

The girl took in a sharp breath to steady herself, then a wide grin burst out over her face. "Oh, Sora!"

The boy took a few steps forward, spreading his arms out wide, but Kairi beat him to it. She raced to him, flinging her arms out and throwing them around his shoulders so hard that, if she had not been such a small, petite thing, she probably would have knocked him flat onto the sand.

"You're back!" She gasped happily, hugging him. "You're home! Oh, Sora!"

Sora didn't even blush, which surprised Kouji to a certain extent, especially when the brown-haired boy folded his arms around her, his gloved hands coming to rest behind her head in a loving manner. "Kairi…"

Kouji crossed his arms over his chest in a rather unique 'I'm-happy-for-you-but-do-I-have-to-watch-the-PDA' expression. He glanced at Donald and Goofy seriously. "So I'll take it that's his girlfriend?"

Sora and Kairi both turned beat red, but refrained from shooting away from one another as most kids Kouji's age would have. Rather, Sora pulled back and craned his head to glare at his companion. "Kouji!"

The swordsman smirked. "I just call 'em as I see 'em."

Kairi, on the other hand, took in a sudden gasp and stepped forward. One of her hands rose slightly to point at Kouji's face, forgetting all manners in what seemed to be extreme shock. "It…It's you!"

"Excuse me?" Kouji leaned away from her and raised and eyebrow.

"You're that boy I…"

"Kairi, what's going on?"

The new voice was female, a bit higher than Kairi's and a little more breezy as it echoed from the small shack. The wooden door creaked open and a pretty girl with long, blonde hair stuck her head out. Her blue eyes scanned the new arrivals curiously, cocking her head to one side in a rather coy manner.

Sora blinked in confusion. "Kairi, who's that?"

Kouji pushed past him with a surprised expression. "Izumi?"

"Kouji?" The girl gasped, putting her hand over her mouth. She stepped out of the shed to reveal a pleasant, though a bit short, purple skirt-and-shirt outfit and a loose silver-and-lilac ring dangling from her ankle. She took a hesitant step forward. Then she let out what could have well been an excited shriek and threw herself forward. "Oh, Kouji, it is you!"

She flung her arms around Kouji, her elbows hooking just short of his shoulders in a definite 'cuddle' position. The boy went stiff as a board, arms straight at his sides, shoulders taught, this entire body rigid, but Izumi didn't seem to notice.

"I'm so happy you're all right!" She gasped, pulling her hug a bit tighter. "It's been so long since I've seen anyone, I thought maybe those…those _things_ had gotten a hold of all of you! After that night I was just…oh I'm so glad…"

"…'Zumi?"

"Mm-hm?"

"You're _hugging_ me."

Izumi realized what she was doing and shot away with a light blush. "Oh…sorry."

"Gawrsh, Kouji." Goofy hyuk'ed. "Is she one of you friends?"

"She's Izumi." He muttered, as though that explained everything, brushing himself off.

The new girl…Izumi…suddenly registered the others around them and blinked, a bit surprised. "Oh…Who's this, Kouji? Kairi?"

The redhead giggled softly, painting a cute expression on her face. "Looks like we've got some explaining to do, huh, Sora?" She nudged her friend in the side. "Come on in, everybody."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"_HAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIL, IL PALAZZO!"_

"…Zo!"

The blonde's snaggletoothed mouth spread into a wide, almost crazy grin as her eager exclamations echoed off the stone walls of the 'secret headquarters', which was really more of a barely-converted sewer line. A few steps behind her stood a smallish, sickly-looking woman with blue hair, who echoed the last letter of the phrase in a breathless sort of manner.

High above them, sitting straight and royal in a tall throne set high on a raised platform, was a tall, relatively handsome man with long white hair, a pair of rounded glasses slipping down the end of his long nose. He brushed some long locks of gray hair behind his shoulder, waving a gloved hand dismissively.

"Ah." He sighed in a royal tone. "Strikingly eager as always, Agent Excel."

"Yes!" Piped the blonde, snapping into a ready salute with one arm straight in the air. "Excel will work hard to be worthy of your praise, Lord Il Palazzo! What is your command for us today?"

Not too far away, Taichi, Takuya and Agumon stood in a bit of a cluster, watching the ordeal with various expressions of anxiety and confusion writhing their features.

"…How did we get ourselves into _this_ one?" Taichi muttered absently. Takuya just shrugged.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

The hut turned out to be a sort of clubhouse, furnished with a few straw chairs around a simple wooden table and a plush, though tattered, couch up against the wall. There were two doors, each framed by the greenery that surrounded the island and facing in opposite directions, the first to luscious beach they had landed on, the second to the forested, open half of the island that faced away from the rest of the grouped isles.

Kairi and Izumi took the couch, while the boys scattered around on the various chairs around the room. Kouji leaned over the table from behind, resting his head on his hands, as Sora leaned back from his seat in front of the counter and Donald and Goofy took places on either side. The various recaps of their past adventures took a good while, but the girls were more than eager to wait it out and demanded every detail the boys could remember.

"It's not fair!" Izumi finally sighed, leaning back and crossing her hands over her chest. "Here you've been out having adventures on your own, and I've just been here the whole time!"

Kairi grinned at the other girl. "What, you don't like it here, 'Zumi?"

"You know I didn't mean that." Izumi smiled as well, and tossed a lock of blonde hair back over her shoulder. "This place is great. It's nice, it's absolutely beautiful, but it's…_dull_."

Sora laughed, hearing Riku's voice behind the girl's comments. His silver-haired friend had often voiced such a complaint about their quiet, unnoticeable little set of islands for years before their adventure had started…

Speaking of which…

"Kairi." He said suddenly, setting the chair down on all four legs and leaning over to speak seriously with her. "Have you heard anything about Riku?"

"No. Nothing." Kairi shook her head. "I thought that, maybe, he'd come back with you, or that you'd run into each other somewhere."

Sora sighed sadly and shook his head. He could still see Riku's face as his best friend peered out from the steadily-closing Door to Darkness, the light smirk curled over his lips as though satisfied with his own self-sacrifice, the slight tinge of sadness in his eyes as the gentle whisper drifted back into the Light: "_Take care of her…"_

Kouji tapped the wooden table twice with the tip of his fingernails, blowing a few escaped strands of hair up contemplatively. Sora had that look on his face again, the same kind of slightly depressing pout with fogged, far-off eyes that Takuya got when his happy mood gave way to darker thoughts.

The swordsman sighed, deciding it would be better to leave the two to themselves, though Donald and Goofy immediately stuck their noses in. Kouji pushed away from the table to cross to the couch. "Hey, Izumi." He sighed, leaning against the couch's tattered armrest. "Do you mind telling me something?"

"What?" The blonde asked, turning her head coyly to one side.

"What happened to you…that night? When Shibuya…" Kouji left off. It was a hard thing to think about, and he didn't feel like putting it into words. He just glanced off to one side and hoped Izumi got the drift.

She did.

Her body language made it pretty clear. She curled in on herself just a bit, hugging herself lightly as though warding off a chill, and her blue eyes fell to gaze almost sadly at the silver anklet dangling from her right leg.

"It…It was weird, you know?" She finally sighed, brushing the same stray lock of hair back over her ear. "That night, those…those _Heartless_ things…somehow got into my house. They completely overran the place. I could hear dad telling me to get out, so I went out the window, down the fire escape. But I didn't really know where to go. So I just went to the first place I could think of…"

"Takuya's." Kouji said simply, and she nodded before continuing.

"I don't think I really got there." Izumi sigh, adjusting her blue headband restlessly. "Actually…to tell the truth, I don't really remember what happened. One minute, I'm running down the road from those Heartless bugs, and the next thing I know…I was waking up on the beach. It was night out, this gorgeous meteor shower and all, and I was just lying out on the sand. I didn't even realize I had this," she indicated the ring, "until Kairi found me the next morning."

Kouji examined the strange piece of jewelry. It was a simple band of silver metal, about two inches thick, liberally swirled with some sort of polished, pale purple gem. It didn't slip down on top of her shoe like one would suspect, rather, it hovered over the navy blue sock as though held up by unseen strings.

The young swordsman narrowed his eyes. Could it really be…?

"Do you know what it is?" He asked.

"Not exactly, but…" Izumi grinned with an almost frighteningly little glint in her blue eyes. "Wait'll you see what it can do."

Kouji opened his mouth to ask, but before he could get the words past his lips, Sora and the others leaned back again with a collective sigh. Seems they'd finally finished off their conversation about Riku and the King and how it was in the 'old days' before the Heartless appeared, and for the most part, they seemed a bit more relaxed.

As it was, Kairi turned to Kouji rather suddenly, her blue eyes sparkling cutely as her hands tucked in by her sides. "Hey, Kouji?" She said in a sort of airy voice. "Can I ask you something?"

The dark-haired boy raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. "Shoot."

"Do you know somebody named Kouichi?"

Kouji stiffened sharply at his brother's name, while Sora's eyebrows shot to his hairline in surprise. Goofy promptly toppled over backwards, while Donald nearly leapt onto the table.

Izumi, on the other hand, simply cocked her head to one side in a curious manner. "Of course he does." She said, blinking. "I'm sure I've told you that, Kairi. Kouichi is Kouji's identical twin."

"His twin?" Kairi said carefully.

"Yeah, sure." Izumi reached into her back pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper, handing it to the other girl. "Take a look."

Kairi took it, holding it out flat so that the boys could see too. Kouji recognized it immediately: it was a group shot they had all taken together just after returning from the Digital World. The six of them were gathered at the Shibuya station, the place where they had 'met' so-to-speak, right next to the statue of Hachiko in a sort of bunch. Tomoki was grinning at the camera from the very front, while Kouichi, Izumi and Junpei made up a line behind them. Kouji and Takuya were standing on a bench, the latter giving a confident thumbs-up sign, the former with his arms around his brother's shoulders. They were all smiling.

The picture was, to Kouji, very important. He kept it taped to the mirror in his room, right where he could see it every day. The only picture he cared about more than that one was closed in the frame he carried in his pocket…

"See? That's Kouichi, right there." Izumi pointed to the boy in question, who was reaching up to hold his brother's arms in an affectionate manner.

"Oh…" Kairi whispered softly, with a sort of understanding breath. "So that's him."

"Why do you ask, Kairi?" Sora asked, frowning a bit. Seemed he wasn't too happy about Kairi knowing another boy. "How did you even know his name?"

Kairi flushed just a bit and folded her hands into her lap. The rest of the group turned their eyes to her in a curious manner, and she obviously wished she hadn't said anything at all.

"It's just that…you see…" She sighed and composed her thoughts. "About a month ago, right before Izumi showed up, I had this…dream…"

**( - )**

"_Who's there?"_

_Her voice echoed out through the mist. That was all she could see anywhere around her, nothing but mist. Though not too far beyond the edge of the wispy white haze, she could make out a strange shadow. It was a familiar shape. It looked human._

_"Who's there?" She repeated, moving towards the dark outline. "Who are you?"_

_"Who're you?" Asked a soft, male voice. She could see his face now, somewhat clearly. Dark hair, dark eyes, a gentle expression. He seemed just as nervous and hesitant as she was, wandering lost here in the fog. _

_She smiled, trying to be friendly. "Kairi. My name's Kairi."_

_"Kairi." The strange tried it out and seemed to like it. "It's a pretty name."_

_"Thank you." Kairi's grin widened just a bit, flattered by the compliment. "Can you tell me yours?"_

_The boy blinked at her, then smiled. He took a deep breath of moist, misty air before the soft whisper echoed out once again._

_"I'm Kouichi."_

_**TBC…**_

- If you don't know the original _Kingdom Hearts_, Sora lives in a group of islets known as Destiny Islands. The larger isles have cities on them, with schools and such, But the island Sora claims as 'his' is actually a play-place for the children. They row out there in boats and play together on this one small island, like an isolated kiddie park.

(snicker snick) BWAHAHAHA! In case you can't tell, Takuya and Taichi stumbled into the City of F, home of Excel Excel and all the other wacky characters of _Excel Saga_. That show is absolutely hilarious, with basically no plot and lots of humor. They parody a different kind of Japanese TV program every episode! (Romance, youth dramas, detective shows, color-coded 'action rangers', you name it). I'll try to explain the jokes I use as best I can for those who haven't seen it.

First of all, death in this show never means anything. The Great Will of the Macrocosm can always bring them back by resetting the storyline, and Excel's partner Hyatt just revives on her own. That's like her whole point of being there, except for teasing Watanabe and making Excel look incompetent.

The main character, Excel Excel, is utterly obsessed with the leader of the Secret Ideological Organization ACROSS, Lord Il palazzo, and will do anything for him, including, but not limited to, murder, bombing and kamikaze attacks. She's also regularly dropped into a bottomless pit in the ACROSS home base.

- This new item makes the fourth one we've seen: Izumi's Areoga Ring, also known as the Wind Anklet. Six to go, remember? I'll show you what it does in the next chapter.

"…_the statue of Hachiko…" _- This is a very famous statue of a Japanese Akita dog, which sits outside Shibuya station. It is to commemorate a dog named Hachiko, who belonged to a professor at Tokyo University. Every day, Hachiko would walk his master to Shibuya Station to see him off and come back to greet him when he got back every day. After many years of this, the professor suffered a fatal heart attack at work, and no one could explain to Hachiko that he was gone. The dog continued to come back to the same spot every day until he died ten years later. Touched by the dog's loyalty, an artist sculpted a bronze statue of Hachiko, which sits outside of Shibuya Station where the dog would wait for its master. The statue is now one of the most famous meeting sites in the Tokyo area.


	12. Chapter 11: Destiny Islands Pt 2

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Excel Saga and the City of F are property of manga-ka Koshi Rikto, who is crazier than I am._

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 11: Destiny Islands Pt. 2**

"You actually saw him?"

Kouji's voice echoed slightly in the small cottage, which wasn't surprising given the volume he'd been shouting at. Kairi gave him an awkward smile and nodded a bit hesitantly. "Well…yes." She sighed quietly. "It was just a dream, of course, but I'm sure that's what he said."

"You're sure?" Kouji insisted again, leaning forward a bit more.

"Back off already!" Sora jumped up and grabbed Kouji by the shoulder. It was a daring move, as the glare in the other's navy blue eyes told him that said grabbing arm would have soon become a bloody stump had they not been traveling together for the past three months. "She already told you about it, so leave her alone!"

Kouji scowled at him, but pulled back. Kairi gave him an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry." She said softly. "That's all I really know. I've seen him a couple of times since then, too…always in dreams. I wish I could tell you more. You must be so worried about him."

Kouji's angry expression softened. The girl's words were kind, and clearly empathetic. She was just as concerned about her dear friend Riku as he was about his precious brother. So, despite all the questions welling up inside him, Kouji let it slide.

Izumi, on the other hand, proceeded simply out of curiosity, turning to her red-haired friend with a baffled expression. "But…Kairi, how could something like that happen? I mean…you've never met Kouichi, have you?"

"Nope." Kairi shook her head. "I've never met anyone like him until now."

Donald let out a light, quack-like groan. "I don't get it."

"Gawrsh," Goofy rubbed his head. "Do ya think Kairi and Kouichi are uh…contracted or somethin'?"

"Connected!" Snapped Donald, but before anyone could respond to either of their comments, a sudden shock wave shook the building, and, indeed, most of the island all at once.

Sora and Kouji leapt to their feet as Kairi and Izumi immediately steadied each other. Donald tried to jump up, but wound up on the floor instead and dragged Goofy down with him.

"What's happening?" Kairi exclaimed.

"Some kind of attack?" Izumi gasped.

Kouji grabbed onto the wall to keep from falling, then straightened as the rumbling came to a stop. He glanced at Sora seriously. "Heartless?"

"It's gotta be!" Sora yanked out the Keyblade and darted for the door. "Come on, let's go!"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Uh, Taichi?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are we following them again?"

The elder of the two goggle-heads turned his eyes to the two women in front of them, Hyatt looking uncertain and frail while her blonde 'senior' waved her arms and legs in an exaggerated march to the song she was singing out-of-tune at the top of her lungs. "They seem to know their way around the city."

"Weren't they trying to _blow up_ the city just an hour or so ago?" Agumon asked in a relatively innocent manner.

Taichi shrugged. "All the more reason to follow them."

Takuya groaned and kept a closer grip on the Fire Ball. The 'meeting' with the girls' leader had consisted of Il palazzo's babbling on about his 'ideal society' for several hours, Excel getting dropped into a wet-sounding pit from nowhere, and Hyatt falling over with blood dribbling from her lip at least twice. In the end, the 'agents' had been given their inexplicable orders to further the ideals of this 'ACROSS' and they'd all left without Il palazzo once regarding the three strangers' presence.

Apparently, Excel had also forgotten that the three 'boys' even existed, though Hyatt turned around every now and then to glance at them somewhat curiously as she carefully carried a small black box.

The whole situation made Takuya edgy, which was a relatively difficult thing to do. "Are you sure we shouldn't be reporting them to the police or something?"

"We don't know how things work here." Piped Agumon from the trench coat. "Maybe this kinda thing happens all the time."

Takuya frowned again. "But what if they're with the Heartless?"

"They seem nice enough." Taichi added with a slight grin, patting Takuya on the shoulder. "You gotta loosen up a bit, buddy. We'll figure out what's up sooner or later."

The younger of the two goggle-heads groaned, his head starting to hurt from responsibility overload. It was times like this that he really, really missed having Kouji around.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Kouji and Sora were the first ones out the door, followed closely by Izumi and Goofy, while Kairi paused just within the doorway and Donald tripped over his own feet. Sand scattered under Sora's shoes as he slid to a stop. "What the…?"

"Watch it!" Kouji barely had time to shove the other boy out of the way before a ball of blue-white flame crashed into the beach beneath them, barely missing Goofy and Izumi by a few inches. The sand melted almost instantly and turned into a thin glass plate.

Sora pulled himself out of the sand as Kouji lifted back into a ready crouch, the deactivated hilt of the Licht Sager ready in his hand. The Keyblade Master shook himself off lightly. "What…_was_ that?"

"Look!" Goofy shouted, pointing into the air.

They looked.

There was a figure standing on the edge of the tall bluffs, on one of the platforms that raised high above the beach. He had long, dark hair with a vibrant lavender streak running through it that reminded Sora of a badly-dyed skunk, tied back into a waist-length ponytail, though a few loose locks fell out to dangle around his face, falling into his amethyst-tinted gray eyes. He couldn't have been older than eighteen, judging by the lithe body and the distinctly boyish face. He was dressed almost entirely in black, with a black duster jacket over a dark gray shirt, black jeans and black tennis shoes. His left hand wore a fingerless black glove, the other, a dark gray wristband. A dark-colored chain dangled from his belt loops and lose gray socks sagged over his shoes. In his right hand he held a long, sliver machete with a black-wrapped grip, in the other, a short black club.

"Hey." Smirked the stranger, crossing his weapons in front of him. "Now you guys look like fun."

Donald, back on his feet now, scrambled out past Kairi and waved his wand at the stranger angrily. "Hey, who the heck are you?"

"Don't see why it's any of _your_ business," sniffed the stranger. "But the name's Xantha."

Izumi stepped forward this time, an intense expression on her normally passive face and her hands firmly on her hips. "What do you want?"

Xantha scowled. "I don't think I have to answer to you, little girl."

"Little?"

The stranger's eyes scanned over her body, resting just below her shoulders, where a certain aspect of female physiology was standing out very obviously under her stomach-showing lilac shirt. "Maybe not _that_ little."

Izumi's face flushed, more with anger than anything else, and her body went rigid. Kouji intervened then, stepping between his friend and the attacker. "Get out."

"Well, aren't you polite?" Xantha rolled his eyes sarcastically. He jumped down from the platform and landed on the beach without much effort at all. "I'm so flattered at the warm reception."

Kouji activated the Licht Sager, which burst to life in his confident hands. Just behind him, Izumi raised her hands, in a pair of flat, defensive chops. Donald and Goofy brought out their weapons as well, aiming both staff and shield in Xantha's direction.

Sora also took a defensive stance instantly, summoning the Keyblade from its hiding spot. "This is our island. Get lost!"

Kairi, her hands raised slightly in what could almost be called aggressive if she hadn't been so cute, took a step forward. "What do you want with us, anyway?"

"Hey, it's nothing personal." Xantha smirked. "Or maybe it is."

With that, he raised his machete and dashed forward, aiming for Sora. The brown-haired boy lifted his Keyblade to deflect the attack, knocking the knife away and launching into a blow of his own, which was blocked and held easily by the club.

Sora's eyes widened as the machete came down at him again, his only way over defending still caught up battling the club…

Kouji jumped in then, the Licht Sager bursting to life in his hand to strike the knife with a decent amount of power. Holding it somewhat upside-down in the gap between Sora and the metal blade, a thin beam of light provided an easy defense.

"Two weapons against one?" Kouji muttered, pulling the Sager back a few inches and his opponent's arm with it. "What kind of fighting style is that supposed to be?"

Xantha smirked. "The kind that lets me take on the two of you losers at once!"

He spun around, breaking loose from his stalemate with Sora to strike at Kouji's head with the club. Kouji jumped back to avoid it, freeing his knife from the Sager's hold to block the Keyblade when it came at him again. Xantha was remarkably fast, faster than either of the boys could quite keep up with, and before they could quite comprehend what was going on, the two heroes were swiftly matched.

Izumi went rigid. "Kouji!"

"Oh, Sora!" Kairi gasped, cupping her hands over her mouth.

Donald let out a quack and waved his staff. "Kairi, stay back!"

"You girls should probably stay outta the way, right?" Goofy hyuk'ed, raising his shield in defense. "Don'tcha worry, we'll take good care of ya."

Izumi drew herself up with an angry huff and pushed her way past the two 'bodyguards', storming across the beach with a determined glare in her bright eyes. Kairi extended a hesitant hand after her. "Wait…Izumi…"

"Hey, hold on!" Exclaimed Donald, stomping his foot. "Wait!"

Apparently not hearing a word, Izumi strode directly into the center of the fight. Kouji glanced up, then got a good look at her face and jumped backwards on instinct (though it hadn't happened to him nearly as much as the other older boys in their group, he had been on the receiving end of Izumi's angry blows more than once). This gave the blonde girl ample opportunity to seize the club that had been flying towards her friend in one hand and hold it firmly in place.

Xantha, his pattern broken, snapped away from Sora and glared at her. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself." Izumi snapped, yanking the club once and pulling their opponent a bit off balance. "What do you think you're doing here, creep? Get lost! You're not welcome here!"

Xantha yanked his weapon free, a snarl wreathing his face. "I don't have to take orders from you!" He shouted and snatched his knife away from Sora's Keyblade, turning the point directly on the girl's chest.

"Watch it!" Sora shouted, reaching out as Kouji lunged to grab the attacking hand as it and the knife sliced through the air towards his friend…

And then, quite suddenly, Izumi disappeared.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Um…What are you two doing, exactly?"

Takuya raised a suspicious eyebrow as he watched the blonde Excel set an unnoticeably plain black box on an apparently random building's front steps. Hyatt was coughing quietly not too far away, but her Senior was performing some sort of eager victory dance using only her shoulders, the rest of her body focused on setting up the device.

Suddenly, she straightened, long golden braid swinging behind her as she posed, hands on her hips. "Katcha! We've done it, Ha-chan! We have successfully completed the orders that were given to us by Lord Il palazzo so that our efforts may further the ideals of our Secret Organization ACROSS! Isn't this wonderful?"

"Of course, Senior." Coughed the other woman weakly, wiping a bit of blood away with her handkerchief. "It is a great victory."

Agumon cocked his head to one side in mild confusion. "Victory…?"

"Of course it is!" Excel shrieked, talking to the voices that had apparently come from her own mind. "Come on, Ha-chan, let us go and report this glorious event to Lord Il palazzo!"

With that, she seized the other woman by the arm and dragged her off the way they had come.

Taichi, Takuya and Agumon stood in the same spot they had been since the beginning of Excel's initial tirade, looking commonly dumbstruck and baffled. Finally, Taichi spoke. "Okay, Takky, you're right. Those girls _are_ nuts."

Agumon nodded in agreement, then looked around, slightly perplexed. His tiny ears, perched at the rear of his head, twitched restlessly. "Hey, guys. Do you hear… ticking?"

"What?" Takuya blinked. "Ticking?"

"Yeah, listen." Prompted the Digimon as he cupped a claw-hand over his ear.

The human boys were quiet for a while and listened. It was true, and that became apparent as the time went slowly on, there was a light ticking, clicking noise not too far from them. In fact, it seemed to be coming from…

"The box?" Taichi said out loud, and three sets of eyes turned to the black shape sitting on the stone steps.

Agumon shifted a bit. "You don't honestly think it could be…"

"Only one way to find out." Takuya took a deep breath and stepped forward, kneeling down on the steps beside the mysterious delivery. He reached out and felt for a seam, which he found around the top, and slowly unhinged it to reveal…

"Hold it right there!"

Taichi jumped. Agumon jumped. Takuya jumped, nearly dropping the box. They all spun around to find the second strangest group of people they had ever seen standing right behind them.

The one who had spoken was a relatively older man with strangely shaped blonde hair and a rather distinctive pointy mustache, wearing a stark off-white suit with a pair of circular glasses perched on his nose. Beside him stood what seemed to be a sixth-grade girl, with vibrant, spiky purple hair, her bangs dyed violent pink, who had a long yellow cord sticking out of her head that was at least as long as her body. Behind both of them stood a line of four fresh-from-college-aged people in business attire: an annoyed-looking woman with long red hair, standing beside a brown-haired guy attempting to impress her with his heroic banter; a disorganized man who looked ready to strangle him, and a short, fat fellow who looked as though he couldn't move his mouth.

"Step away from that device, young people." Announced the blonde pompously. "Allow us to take care of it."

"O…kay…" Takuya backed away slowly, twitching just a bit as he did.

Taichi was rigid in a rather defensive motion as the strange group moved closer. "Who the heck are you guys?"

There was a strange glint in the blonde's eyes, which, along with the disgusted looks of the younger group behind him, made Takuya severely regret that Taichi had said anything. And if that hadn't done it, the man suddenly spinning around to face them with a determined, heroic pose certainly did.

"We are the Defenders of this city, the certified Department of City Security!" He announced, boldly and grandly. "We are devoted to protecting this city from all threats, and we will stand firm against villainy!"

The three boys backed up a bit more, with Taichi muttering out of the corner of his mouth, "Sorry I asked…"

"We are here to dispose of the threat which we believe to have been placed by a sinister Society bent on the complete annihilation of this city!" Announced the blonde in the same grandiose tone. "Now, stand back! Ropponmatsu, you know what to do!"

"All righty!" Giggled the little girl and she skipped toward the bomb-box coyly.

The boys took another step back, glancing at the blonde 'leader' of this strange group in apprehension. "You sure she can handle this?" Takuya asked slowly.

"Don't worry." The blonde tweaked the edge of his mustache with a conniving spark in his eye. "She is a trained professional, specially built to handle just this kind of situation."

"Built…?" Agumon wondered out loud.

"I don't want to know," groaned Takuya, putting a hand on his forehead.

"Oopsies." Said Ropponmatsu.

A resounding explosion rang through the depths of the city, accompanied by a bright light and a mushroom-shaped cloud of fire and smoke.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Kouji stared at the empty spot where Izumi had been only moments before. Even his alert eyes couldn't quite understand what had happened, as the girl had been there one second before suddenly vanishing in a swirl of sand.

"'Zumi?" He called hesitantly, searching around.

"How the…" Sora's mouth was a bit slack-jawed, so asking if he'd seen what had happened wouldn't work either.

Xantha, who had toppled forward under the force of his own lunge, pulled himself rather ungracefully from the sand and turned back with a snarl. "What the hell?"

Kairi was the only one who didn't seem surprised. In fact, she was laughing, covering her mouth with one hand as she did. When the two boys, that is, Sora and Kouji, turned back to stare at her rather disbelievingly, she just pointed straight up. "Look."

They looked. And they stared.

Izumi was perched at the very top of an impossibly tall, thin palm tree that wouldn't have held her weight normally, balanced coyly on the balls of her feet. Her body leaned forward at the ankles, angled slightly but otherwise perfectly straight, her arms crossed over her chest and a light smirk over her lips. The purple gem swirled within her silver anklet had started to glow with a violet halo that hovered over both ankles.

Kouji stared at the sight for just a moment, then smirked lightly. "'Zumi, you little sneak"

"What the hell?" Xantha raged angrily, shaking his club at the girl. "That's cheating!"

"Says you." Izumi's smirk widened. She lowered her hands away from her hips and rested them calmly by her sides, the edges of her fingers raised just a bit. Without a thought, she took a deep breath and stepped off the tree.

The violet auras around her ankles sparked to life suddenly, spreading out around her feet with swirls of wind, lightly tinted with sand and glittery purple specks. Izumi walked calmly across the open air without even looking at her feet, blue-green eyes focus intensely on her opponent.

"Not so tough now, are you?" She smirked. "See, not everybody on this island's as defenseless as you think. And there's no way I'm just going to stand back and let you wreck a beautiful, peaceful place like this!"

She swooped suddenly like a hawk, bearing a small jump rope with heavy wooden grips on the ends. Before Xantha could react, he'd been clotheslined by the taunt toy and knocked flat on his back.

Izumi popped up into the air again several feet behind him, twirling a bit as she came to a stop. "How'd you like that?"

"You miserable little…" Xantha groaned and hoisted himself out of the sand, balancing on one knee as he tossed the machete into the hand alongside his club. The now-free right hand curled over itself, fingers pointing in, forming a gleaming ball of magically charged blue fire, like the one he had thrown when they first saw him. "Try this!"

"I don't think so."

The attacking figure stopped.

Stopped because Kouji had suddenly appeared behind him and now had the Licht Sager pushed against his throat so that any careless movement would probably be accompanied by the sounds and smells of laser burns and singeing flesh.

Kouji's navy blue eyes narrowed at their opponent threateningly. "Don't move."

Xantha looked down at the blade of light held to his throat, but then simply smirked. "What do you think you're going to do, huh? Scare me off?"

"Why?" Sora retorted, raising the Keyblade. "You scared?"

"Of course not." Xantha's smirked widened. "You have to have a Heart to be scared. And, luckily for me, I _don't_."

He slammed his head backwards before any of them could react, slamming the hardest part of his skull right into Kouji's gut. The light-wielding warrior doubled over, gripping his stomach painfully.

Xantha smirked, jumping away and hurling the ball of flame back at the winded fighter. Sora jumped in front of his friend and knocked the fire away with his Keyblade, sending it soaring into the waterfall, where it was instantly smothered.

"Got'cha covered, buddy." He nodded back to Kouji, who gave him a rather half-hearted groan as a response.

"Sure, real impressive." Xantha rolled his eyes and tossed the machete back into his right hand. "But you haven't seen nothin' yet!"

He leaned back, taking a stance with both knife and club crossed over in front of him, a wide grin on his face showing every white tooth in his mouth. Sora and a recovering Kouji readied themselves, with Goofy and Donald running in for backup while Izumi pulled the rope taunt once more. And then…

Xantha suddenly stopped and turned his head up to the sky. "Oh, come on! Can't you see that I'm busy?"

The tense group relaxed, nearly all of them with baffled expressions. Their opponent continued, yelling up at the blue sky. "I'm in the middle of something here! Sure, just let me drop everything and work on _your_ problems, you old hag!"

"Gawrsh, what's he doin'?" Goofy asked slowly.

"I think he's cracked." Sora sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Fine! Fine, I'm coming!" Snapped Xantha angrily, stuffing his weapons into two halters hanging from either side of his belt, resting on separate hips. He turned back to the group with an annoyed, yet confident, smirk. "Looks like you're off the hook, losers, but you haven't seen the last of me. Smell ya later."

He swept one hand out flat behind him, summoning up a swirling sort of passageway, molding and writhing with what seemed to be liquid darkness.

Kouji realized what was happening and lunged. "Hold it!"

Xantha just grinned a bit more and stepped directly backwards, passing through the portal, which vanished just as Kouji reached it. The swirling mass of darkness vanished, leaving nothing but sweet sea air, as though it had never been.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

A blue and green hexagon-shaped Gummi ship scooted through the inter-world space, dodging the various Heartless ships and pieces of colorful interstellar junk as it did. Safe within the cockpit, its crew of three was more than a little baffled, surprised and confused.

"That," Takuya sighed, plopping into his red plastic seat, "was easily the weirdest place I have ever been to. Bar none."

"No joke." Taichi sagged back into the high-backed 'captain's chair', blowing up his bangs.

Agumon crawled up into his specially made little seat, leaning up to push the glowing yellow button for auto pilot before he slid into the plastic molded just for a smallish lizard Digimon of his size. "Anybody remember what happened?"

"We got blown up, didn't we?" Taichi groaned, rubbing his neck. "With those City Department idiots."

Agumon turned to his partner and blinked a bit, confused. "But how did we get back here, then?"

"I don't want to think about it." Takuya breathed, leaning back and closing his eyes. He vaguely remembered something involving a swirling mass of stars and dark night sky, with female arms protruding from it, speaking to him in a soft feminine voice before rushing off to assist a rather noisy man with a definite Spanish accent…

"I definitely don't want to think about it." He sighed, and went to search the fridge in the back of the ship for something to eat.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Sora jumped down from the platform, sliding down the edge of the ladder before landing on his feet with well practiced, familiar skill. He sighed, rubbing his head with his hand somewhat painfully.

"Any luck?" Kairi asked, standing from where she had been dangling her feet into the waterfalls' crystal-clear spring.

"Nothing. He's totally gone." Sora sighed, pausing beside her.

She smiled at him kindly and all of a sudden he didn't care about whether or not Xantha was still around, or even what he was doing there in the first place. He was home, if only for a little bit, on his island, with Kairi and…and…

Not Riku.

The normally perky hero sighed again and rubbed his neck, glancing away from the girl who occupied precisely 57 percent of his thoughts on a regular basis and trying to push the small burst of depression away from him.

"What's wrong?" Kairi asked, squirming around to meet his eye again.

Sora blushed. "It's, uh…nothing."

Kairi smiled gently, understanding. "You're worried about Riku, aren't you?"

Sora sighed and slumped a bit. He couldn't hide it. She just knew him too well, there was nothing he could do about that, but admitting that he was dwelling on the one thing that would make him leave again would be just too much…

Kairi watched him struggle a moment, then reached out and touched his shoulder. "Go find him."

Sora gaped at her. "Kairi…"

"Hey, Riku's my friend too, you know." Kairi grinned and slipped her hands behind her back, the way she always had. "And you don't have to worry about us. We've got everybody back in town on alert in case the Heartless show up, and if Xantha shows up again, Izumi and I will take care of him."

Sora stared at her a moment longer, then smirked again. "You sure you can handle it?"

"No problem!" Kairi socked him on the shoulder. "_I've_ been practicing. There's no way I'm staying the helpless little girl you remember."

The Keyblade Master laughed and decided that, in truth, it felt really, really good. With a smile on his face, he considered everything she'd said for a moment, then remembered something. Something important.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the first thing his hand touched - a smiling star-shaped pendant made of tiny white shells, sewn together with thick yellow thread.

"Here." He held it out to the girl with a smile. "This is yours."

Kairi smiled and took said hand in her own, folding his gloved fingers around the charm again. "Keep it. Until you find Riku. I'll take it back when you're both home for good."

Sora smiled a bit more. "Promise?"

"Promise."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Izumi was making a point to spend as much time with him as possible, Kouji noticed, but he could only assume this was natural. They were, after all, friends - part of a close-knit little group that hadn't been separated for more than a week in over three years. Now that the two of them had found each other again, it was only to be expected that they should catch up alone.

Which is why they were standing together on a cliff overlooking the beautifully clear sea, which was turning yellow and orange along with the sky as its water swallowed up the huge red disk of the sun. They leaned together on the wooden railing that kept people from falling off into the ocean, and for a while, the two of them just enjoyed being together again.

"It really is beautiful here, isn't it?" Izumi sighed.

"I guess." Kouji brushed a stray bit of hair out of his eyes and looked down at their reflections in the rippling water. A light smirk crawled over his face and he chuckled.

"What?" Izumi demanded, which made him laugh a bit more. "What is it?"

"It's nothing." The swordsman stopped his tittering, but kept the smile on his lips. "I was just thinking…Kouichi would love seeing this. He always did get all mushy about sunsets."

Izumi smiled as well, but it was more kindly than anything else. She recognized the sad look in her friend's eyes. "You're worried about him, aren't you?"

"I guess." Kouji didn't bother hiding it. Izumi was always very good at reading people's ideas and feelings, second only to Tomoki, who caught on more quickly than any of them. "I suppose I'm just…doing the paranoid brother thing, you know? I keep getting these stupid thoughts about whether he's okay or if he's been hurt."

"I know what you mean." Izumi nodded gently. "It's natural to be scared when we're all scattered like this. Part of me is always thinking about Tomoki, hoping he'll be able to take care of himself. But there's no way to know, is there?"

Kouji was quiet for a long while. The girl turned to him a bit more, cocking her head to one side. "Not quite it?"

"Not quite." Kouji sighed. He hadn't really wanted to tell anyone, but if anyone had to know, it would be Izumi. "I…I keep wondering if everything we're doing is really the right thing. Every time we land on a different world, every time those stupid Navi-Gummis open up a different route, I keep thinking that maybe…maybe we're just getting further and further from each other…instead of closer."

For a long while, there was nothing to say, then Izumi let a small smile slide over her face. "Don't worry." She said softly, turning back to the ocean again. "Everything's going to be just fine, you'll see."

Kouji gave her a curious look, but, seeing as she was on a roll, didn't say anything.

"No matter where we all wind up, I don't think we have to worry about finding each other again." Izumi smiled at the sunset, a thoughtful gaze in her soft eyes. "We're all friends, best friends, and that's a bond no distance can break. It's like Kairi keeps saying, whenever she thinks about Sora and Riku: 'No matter how far apart we are, our Hearts keep us connected.'"

"So…" She turned the pleasant smile on her old friend and tossed a lock of blond hair back over her shoulder. "It doesn't matter if we're lost or all by ourselves or if we loose sight of each other. We're never really alone as long as we can remember our friends and our family. All the people…who are important to us."

Kouji was quiet for a long while, leaning forward against the edge of the railing. "Yeah…I guess so." He finally whispered, reaching into his jacket pocket. "We're always connected, one way or ano-"

He cut off, since his searching fingers had not found what they were looking for. In fact, they didn't find anything at all, except the bottom of the pocket. His eyes widened sharply and his body reacted, shoving both his hands into his pockets and searching with increasing panic.

Izumi noticed this quickly and straightened. "What's wrong, Kouji?"

"It's gone!" The swordsman pulled his pockets inside-out, revealing all too well the cold proof. "My photograph! The one Kouichi gave me! It's gone…"

Izumi frowned lightly and made a sympathetic noise. The locket-frame was something Kouichi had asked her to help him pick out, the picture inside one of the few their grandmother had saved from their parents' divorce. It had been the first gift one twin had ever given the other after they'd met in the Digital World. It was more than a keepsake, it was a treasure, and Kouji never let it leave his sight, so right away it was preposterous to propose that he dropped it.

"Someone must've taken it." Kouji gritted his teeth, angry at himself and furious with the imaginary pickpocket in his mind. He closed his fists angrily. "There's no way…"

Izumi put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll ask around. Maybe somebody's seen it." She said kindly, and took off at a light jog for the ladder. She paused, one foot about to step down. "We'll find it, Kouji. Don't worry."

Kouji nodded absently, not looking at her, and she disappeared down the ladder. He sighed, leaning forward against the railing, and gazed out at the sunset thoughtfully. He took a deep breath of salty sea air, filling his lungs with it as though hoping to burn out the pain. As he breathed out, small voice escaped his lips, almost but not quite a whisper, floating out to the ocean waves.

"Kouichi…"

_**TBC…**_

The Department of City Security is made up of Excel and Hyatt's neighbors: the lovesick Toru Watanabe, idiotic Norikuni Iwata, Kansai-accented Sumiyoshi Omaru, responsible Misaki Matsuya, and the two constantly-being-blown-up bomb squad android chicks Ropponmatsu 1 and Ropponmatsu 2. (The model appearing here is the second version) Lead by 'Dr.' Kabapu, their job is to 'protect' the City of F from the threat their leader is sure is imminent and do lots of useless paperwork. The 'swirling mass of stars' is none other than the Great Will of the Macrocosm, along with the (dead) extremely unfortunate immigrant worker Pedro. For full story on all of them, watch the series! It's a lot funnier than me.

I don't know how many people are familiar with the term 'clotheslined', since I've only heard it at youth events. To put it simply, it's when someone is caught by something realtively thin under the chin, knocking them flat on their backs, like if you ran headfirst into a clothesline. Get it?

The next world is going to be interesting, and it might take a while, just because it's kind of complicated. Your hint is very simple: Spiky hair. Really spiky. The kind that adds a foot to the character's height, which is good, because said character is very small. See you then.


	13. Chapter 12: Domino City

Big-time thanks to Kathy, who let me babble to her until I figured out the plot for this world! And boy, is it going to be interesting, let me tell you…this is going to be fun! And of course, thank you Syaoran-Lover, for beta'ing this fic and doing an excellent job! Cheers all!

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Yu-Gi-Oh is the group property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha INC, Konami and VIZ's Shonen Jump._

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 12: Domino City**

Beryl slammed her graceful hands down on the black obsidian desk before her, glaring daggers at the teenage form that stood not far beyond it. "What do you think you were doing, fool?"

"None of your beeswax, you old hag!" Snapped the irate teenager, tossing his duel-streaked hair over his shoulder and stuffing his hands deep in the pockets of his black jeans.

"If you want to die, throw yourself off the tower walls!" Sneered the Queen of Darkness. "Don't go butting into the world of light and screwing up our plans, you're ruining everything!"

"I'm not going to sit by and do nothing like the losers around here!"

"_Enough._"

Queen and teen stopped short, both pairs of purple eyes turning slowly to focus on the figure approaching them. It was Myotismon, of course, a light smile playing on his pale, fanged lips, with the baboon-cloaked Naraku trailing behind him. The vampire looked somewhat amused by the entire ordeal he had just witnessed, but it wasn't enough to cover his distaste for all of the other creatures in the room.

"Beryl." He said coldly, turning his violet eyes to look down at the red-haired woman. "What is the status of the other five Items?"

The Queen of Darkness scowled lightly. "It was going just fine until this bozo went and blew his cover sky high."

"Feh! Like those stupid kids will ever know." The teen blew his duel-colored bangs out of his eyes. "Besides, I got closer to grabbing that Light-blade than you ever did, witch!"

"Why you…"

"Enough." Myotismon waved his hand again to placate the woman. "Beryl, I will take care of this, if you will allow me to do so. I'm certain your own task still calls for you."

Beryl sniffed and tossed her long red hair back over her pale shoulder, turning on her heel to storm away. "Fine. So be it."

Myotismon let a light smirk crawl onto his dark lips as she left, turning to the two left in the great chamber. "Now, for you."

The dark-haired boy scowled up at him. "What?"

"Do us all a favor and stick with your assignment." Myotismon's smirk widened to show gleaming white fangs. "As you can see, Beryl can be an impossible pain in the butt when her territory is encroached."

The teen grumbled, tapping his machete against the club in annoyance. The vampire Digimon narrowed his eyes. "Is that understood, Ansem?"

"Yes." Snapped the teen. "Sir."

"Excellent." Myotismon turned back to the baboon-cloaked creature beside him. "And you, Naraku? Is your end of the plan going well?"

"Indeed it is." The icy voice slid out from the folds of fur. "Each day draws us ever closer to the Heart you requested. It is now simply a matter of time before the seven are complete."

"Good, good." Myotismon smirked again and turned to gaze around the room, which appeared to be one person short. "Now tell me… where is Anubis?"

"Off playing his little games, no doubt." Answered Naraku in a cold whisper. "Apparently, he's discovered a new way of working with the Heartless. He thinks it will make things much more… how did he put it? Entertaining. That is, it should be, for the Keyblade Master and his little friend…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"What the hell?"

Kouji looked around him, his entire body tense and ready for attack at any moment. There was good reason for this - after all, he had only seconds ago been 'beaming' down from the Gummi Ship with Sora and the others, expecting to step off into yet another strange world that would have some bizarre puzzle to figure out, a Keyhole to find, and plenty of Heartless to take out his own anger on - but now he found himself alone and in utter darkness, unable to see much further than the end of his nose.

Soon, however, there was more to see than the end of his nose - namely, the swirling mass of glowing white and green… stuff… that was gradually forming in front of his eyes.

Kouji grit his teeth and took a step back away from the swirling mass. A mild shudder ran up his spine as a sound echoed from deep within the center of the churning light, the howl of an animal crying to the moon.

The swirl slowly became more and more defined, changing shape and shifting into something new. First, two pairs of paws dropped out and landed nimbly on the ground, followed by a thin body covered in fur, a long, bushy tail and a distinctly canine face, ears raised, golden eyes narrowed, sharp canines barred past lightly snarling lips.

As the winds vanished, a soft glow of moonlight remained, illuminating the great silver wolf as it stepped forward, its claws clicking against the hard, smooth ground without cause or care. Kouji took another step back, but the wolf darted forward faster than the boy could move.

The wind was suddenly knocked from Kouji's lungs as the huge wolf lunged, knocking him flat on his back, the large paws planted firmly on the boy's shoulders. Kouji grunted a bit, forcing air into his lungs, and found himself looking up into harsh golden eyes and barred white teeth. Though his hands moved to tug at the paws, it was clear that he was pinned and trapped, unable to escape from this hunter who had him helpless. As he gazed up, the great wolf barred his fangs and leaned down to…

Slurp his wide, wet tongue all the way from the boy's chin to his forehead.

Kouji sputtered, both in surprise and disgust, as the creature slurped him again. The wolf's tail wagged happily and he barked, licking again, this time running his tongue through the hollow of the boy's neck.

"Get off!" Kouji grunted, shoving again. The wolf dog yipped happily, but didn't obey the order and licked him again. "I said get off me! Get _off_, you dumb mutt!"

The wolf sat back, his hindquarters folded on Kouji's stomach, and threw his head back. A loud howl echoed through the darkness again, and Kouji only had time to wonder vaguely what was happening before a blade of light cracked through the darkness and split open his world again…

…

"Gawrsh, Kouji. You okay?"

Kouji blinked, lowering his hands to let the sunlight spread over his face. That is, the sunlight Goofy's head wasn't blocking, as the Captain of the Guard was leaning over him with a look of strange concern. The young swordsman was still lying on his back, but the vast nothingness beneath him had been replaced by soft, springy green grass. His feet rested on something hard - a sidewalk - and the great creature that had attacked him was nowhere to be seen.

Kouji sat up, rubbing his face on his sleeves to wipe away the imaginary creature's drool, which still felt sticky even now that he realized it wasn't real. A few feet away, Sora was still on his feet, but blinking around him in confusion as though searching for something that had previously been just above his eye level. The auburn-haired boy looked just about as confused as Kouji felt.

"Hey!" Donald shrieked, his eyes wide as he swung his staff wildly. "Where'd you two go?"

"We went somewhere?" Sora asked, turning his sky blue eyes to his companions in befuddlement.

"Yeah!" Goofy hyuk'ed. "We warped down here, but you two weren't with us. You just didn't show up!"

Donald quacked his own affirmative. "So where'd you go?"

"Nowhere." Kouji grunted lightly and hoisted himself to his feet. "We didn't go anywhere."

"Gawrsh, are you sure?"

"_Yes_." Kouji snapped in the kind of tone that makes even the most talkative person want to drop the subject. He brushed himself off, navy blue eyes scanning the scene around them to take in all possible details of his new location. "Where are we?"

Sora had to agree that said question was a bit more pressing than where they had been five seconds ago, so he took a better look himself. They stood on a sparse patch of well-manicured grass stretching only a few feet in the middle of a large, towering city made mostly of gleaming silver buildings that towered above them, but not quite high enough to block out a beautifully clear blue sky. A large road ran on one side of this grassy knoll, mediated by a thin strip of sidewalk; on the other side there was a small yellow building with a bright red roof and a vibrant sign, the entirety of which seemed to be made of colorful building blocks.

From the bold red 'OPEN' sign in the glass doors, one could only assume it was a shop and, most likely, one whose primary customers were children. Colorful posters sprawled across the windows advertising various collectables only solidified this idea.

Sora approached said shop curiously, squinting up at the sign in confusion. "It's… a shop, right?"

"Sure looks like it." Goofy hyuk'ed.

"But what kind?" Donald asked nasally.

Sora frowned up at the sign, with its bizarre, bold, squiggly writing and crossed his arms over his chest. "I dunno. I can't read it."

"Gawrsh, me neither."

"Neither can I." Donald crossed his wings in annoyance. "Phooey."

Kouji glanced up at the oh-so-mysterious sign and rolled his eyes. "It says, 'Turtle Game Shop.'"

His three companions snapped around to stare at him. Sora sputtered. "You… You can read it?"

"Duh." Kouji tossed his ponytail over his shoulder. "That's my native writing. It's not that hard."

"I've never seen it before." Sora protested defensively.

"Then you've obviously never been to Japan."

Before another word could be said, a new voice interrupted them, higher and obviously female. "Oh. I've never seen you before."

They turned. Approaching them from the street was a girl, almost but not quite a woman, several years older than either Sora or Kouji, but still in high school. She had short brown hair and brown eyes, with a very pleasant sort of friendly smile on her face, and she was dressed in a pink and blue public school uniform, a brown backpack pulled over her shoulders.

"Are you guys new?" She asked with a nice grin, stopping just in front of them. "Or are you here for some convention? Those are some pretty cool costumes."

"Costumes?" Donald asked blankly, and Kouji raised one eyebrow in minor offence.

The girl brushed their reactions off without much more than another smile. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. Have you seen a kid around here with really spiky hair?"

As one motion, Kouji, Donald and Goofy all turned to look at Sora, whose wild hair stood almost straight up in massive spikes as it always had.

The girl giggled a bit. "More colorful than that."

"Gawrsh, we haven't seen anybody." Goofy shook his head. "Sorry."

"No problem. He's probably inside." The girl smiled again, giving them all a split-second gleam of sunshine and roses, before she pushed past them and reached for the metal handles of the glass doors.

"Um… wait up!" Sora stumbled out, turning after her slowly. "Mind if we come, too?"

The girl turned back and smiled once again. "Sure!" Kouji groaned, raising one hand to cover his eyes almost painfully. "What're your names?"

"I'm Sora." The Keyblade Master thumbed at himself, his face stretched into a wide grin.

"Donald!" Announced the mage, jumping in.

"Goofy!" Hyuk'ed the Guard, grinning lopsidedly.

"And, uh…" Sora glanced back at their fourth member, who was still scowling, and decided to continue for him. "His name's Kouji."

The longhaired swordsman pulled his hand away from his face and gave the girl a rather begrudging, yet somehow polite, little bow. "Hajishimashite."

"Hajishimashite." The girl responded to the odd greeting in a similar manner, ignoring or simply not noticing the looks of confusion on the other trio's faces. "My name's Anzu. Nice to meet you. Well, come on then."

The glass doors swung inward with the familiar, announcing chime of a little bell. The shop was small, as it had looked from the outside, and seemed smaller, as it was unbelievably cluttered. Shelves lined every wall, all of them filled to the roof with figurines and 3-D puzzle models. Stacks of board games and other boxed toys towered up from the floor, rising to meet the dozens of models displayed from the roof. Glass cases all around the register counter displayed all imaginable kinds of colorful dice, miniature figurines for tabletop games and, almost too predominantly, shining metallic packages of trading cards.

Kouji suppressed a grown. 'Game Shop'. Of course it was.

A door at the rear of the store opened suddenly, ushering in a smiling old man with bushy, spiky white hair and bright amethyst eyes. He reminded Kouji very much of the more welcoming 'Dwarf' figurines in the display cases, as the man's build was very short and stocky, and his eyes gleamed brightly as though he'd just discovered some rare and brilliant jewel.

"Welcome!" He announced with a hearty chuckle, throwing the door open dramatically. "How can I help you? If you're looking for Duel Monsters packs, you've come to the right place! We've got the best selection in town!"

Donald, the closest to said door, let out a sort of frightened shriek and jumped a foot, knocking over a large cardboard cutout in the shape of a fierce-looking purple wizard. Anzu giggled. "Good afternoon, Mr. Motou."

"Oh, Anzu, it's you." The man looked almost disappointed, but perked up once again after noticing the other four. "O-ho! And who're your friends?"

"They're new here." Anzu said, motioning to the boys. Sora, who was helping to pick the cutout off of the floor, gave an uncertain wave and nearly dropped the flat character, which earned him a glare from Kouji, who had a hold on the other end of the awkward display. "Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kouji…This is Suguroku Motou. He owns this store."

"New in town, eh?" Suguroku's eyes sparkled again with the same sort of glint as a used car salesman. "I can definitely give you a great deal, special welcome-to-town discount, too! We've got the best selection of Duel Monsters booster packs in town, not to mention a generous selection of other games and figures, of course. What can I get for you?"

The group stared at him rather blankly. Kouji raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"Nothing?" Suguroku's face fell again. "Not even a nice booster pack or two? You'll never get ahead in the Dueling circuit without taking a chance."

"Gawrsh, 'Dueling'?" Goofy asked, baffled.

Kouji's raised eyebrow now held a hint of interest in his expression. "What kind of dueling?"

"Why, Duel Monsters, of course!" Suguroku brandished a handful of shiny card packs.

Kouji's interested gleam disappeared instantly, but the others were now more intrigued than ever. "What's Duel Monsters?" Sora asked.

Anzu and Suguroku both looked surprised. "You've never head of Duel Monsters?"

"Such a shame!" Suguroku lamented. "And you look like you have some real potential for the game, too!"

"What _is_ it?" Donald asked again, as Sora leaned over the counter with wide-eyed fascination.

"Well, the best way to answer that question is to see it for yourselves!" Suguroku swept the card packs up again and put them away in one swift motion. "Luckily, we've got the perfect opportunity! My grandson's in the back with a friend, and you'll never find a better pair of Duelists anywhere!"

"So Yugi _is_ here!" Anzu said triumphantly.

Suguroku gave her a bright grin as he opened the back door. "Well? Come on, fellows! You're about to witness the most exciting game that's ever hit the market!"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

In the shadows of Domino City, small creatures wriggled slowly to life. Their golden yellow eyes gleamed hauntingly through the darkness from which they had sprung, gazing out into the city. Light flooded the streets, bounced between the bright silver buildings and reflecting into vibrant spectrums through the thickest layers of glass.

The Shadows slunk back with a chorus of violent hisses and shrieks. The light! Nasty, horrible, disgusting light that burned and hurt. The light that hurt them, that cut them and hit them. The light that gave its wretched power to the Light-Wolf-Creature and the nasty little Key-Thing.

"_But not for long."_ Whispered a soft voice. The Shadows turned their eyes upward, their antenna twitching wildly in recognition. It was the Master, the Animal-scented Master! Not as nice as the beautiful Lady, oh no, but better than the Badger-Spider. Animal-Master gave them new power, such great shadows as they had never seen nor tasted before, so sweet and cool and smooth…

"_Prepare yourselves, creatures of the Shadow Realm."_ Growled the Master in a deep, demanding, Alpha-male voice. "_Soon, very soon, your time will come. The falseness of their power will soon wane, and together, with my True Light and your True Darkness, we will take hold of this putrid city. Patience, Shadows, is the key. A millennia of patience comes to fruit today…"_

And, deep in the shadows of Domino City, the creatures within them squealed in barely-contained excitement.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Kouji picked out Mr. Motou's grandson… 'Yugi'… almost as soon as they entered the back room of the tiny shop. Yugi was built the same as his grandfather, that is, short and stocky without much real strength, to such an extent that the only way to tell he was older than Kouji or Sora was his school uniform, identical to the one the other high school boys in the room wore. The top of his head was right about Kouji's eye level, but his hair was spiked up in five grand, purple-tipped cones, with violently blonde bangs cascading down into his wide, friendly purple eyes. The entire effect was, indeed, memorable, and Kouji could finally see what Anzu had meant by 'spiky and colorful'.

Currently, this Yugi was seated on one side of a folding card table, facing a tall blonde who screamed 'punk' with his every twitch. Spread between them was a colorful grid-mat covered in uniquely painted cards, showing monsters and warriors, swirling magic and violent traps. A deck of these same cards rested at each boy's elbow, obviously prepared beforehand with some idea for strategy.

Kouji only took all of this in because his observational training refused to let him do otherwise. At the moment, he stood beside the door with his arms crossed over his chest and a sullen glower on his face. Everyone else in the room - Donald, Goofy, Suguroku, Anzu, a tall boy with brown hair, and Sora (who was craning over the table with an expression of unadulterated wonder and delight) were crowded around the two 'Duelists', watching the conclusion as eagerly as gamblers watched the end of a horse race.

"Awright, Yuge, you better be ready for this!" Announced the blonde boldly, pulling a card from his hand with one over-dramatic swipe. "I'm playing good ol' Salamandra, to power up the Flame Swordsman and attack your Curse of Dragon!"

A mischievous grin that felt almost out of place on Yugi's face suddenly blossomed there as he reached for a card placed at the edge of the table.

"Sorry, Jonochi." He chuckled, not sounding very sorry at all. "But I've got just the trap for that. Spell-Binding Circle!"

The blonde 'Jonochi' groaned loudly. Sora leaned over to Suguroku, his whisper floating to Kouji's ears. "What's that do?"

"Stops the attack before any damage can be done." Beamed the old man, clearly enjoying himself. "And what's more, it cuts the Flame Swordsman's attack points in half."

"And with Yugi's attack, Jonochi's life points go down to zero." Announced the brown-haired boy, who was acting as referee, grinning like a madman. "You loose, pal. You might've held your own at Duelist Kingdom, but you're still no match for Yugi!"

"Shut up, Honda!"

Yugi laughed, a pleasantly warm tone that rang sweetly through the room. "It was a really good duel, Jonochi. You're getting better!"

"Thanks for the encouragement, Yuge…"

Kouji glanced up to see his teammates' reactions and let out an aggravated sigh. Donald and Goofy looked baffled, as though they hadn't quite understood the rules, but Sora had all too obviously gotten every bit of it. His sky-blue eyes sparkled like a child gazing at a Christmas window display of Santa Claus. "Wow! That was awesome!"

"It's loads of fun." Anzu grinned and nodded. "Right, Yugi?"

"Yeah." Yugi's smile was as cute as one would expect from someone of as ambiguous age as he was. "Do you want to try, Sora? Duel Monsters is the kind of game a beginner can pick up right away."

Sora's grin widened. "Can I?"

"We've got some great starter decks for beginners." Suguroku pitched in brightly. "Fully constructed, good balance and flexible strategies, just 500 munny apiece!"

"Great! We'll take two!"

Goofy scratched his head. "Gawrsh, Sora, why d'ya want two fer?"

"I wanna play somebody at my level." Sora's eyes glinted with the eagerness of an anticipated challenge, spinning to the rear of the room. "Come on, Kouji! Whattya say? Take me on!"

Kouji's cold glare iced closer to the sub-zero level. "No."

"Auw, c'mon, Kouji!" Sora pouted, earning another five degrees of chill from Kouji's glare.

"I thought you were supposed to be older than me."

"Only by a year! C'mon, let's play a game!"

Yugi grinned a bit, trying to be encouraging. "Age doesn't matter that much when it comes to games."

Kouji set his glare more firmly. "I don't play card games."

Jonochi came saddling up to the longhaired boy with a cocky smirk on his face. "What's the matter, tough guy? You scared to lose?"

He reached for Kouji's shoulder in a chummy manner, but the younger boy intercepted him with another harsh glare, grabbing the incoming hand by the wrist. "Touch me and you'll lose more than a game."

Jonochi's joking grin turned into an annoyed frown. "What is your problem?"

"He's just a little anti-social…" Sora grinned awkwardly.

Donald crossed his wings. "You mean grumpy."

"And chicken, apparently." Honda leered temptingly from Jonochi's side. "Not even brave enough for a little game."

Kouji leveled his gaze at them, then smirked. "Nice try. But I'm to falling for it."

"Here they are!" Suguroku appeared with the box of starter sets in hand. Kouji gave it one sideways glance, and then snapped his head around to stare.

Each of the decks was designated by a different card displayed on the front, almost like a title page, indicating a different construction of strategy in some obscure gamer designer's code, and while all of this was only to be expected of a game whose fans could be fanatical up through the high-school ages, one of them leapt out at Kouji's sharp eye.

The silver wolf from his…vision, dream, whatever it had been… stood on the edge of a cliff in the dead of night, bathed in the light of the full moon he howled to.

Before Kouji quite had the time to register exactly how familiar the creature really was, his hand had reached out and seized the deck from its place nestled velvet-lined container.

"O-ho." Suguroku chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Ready to play now, are you?"

Kouji blinked, surprised at himself, then scowled at the deck in his hand. The silver-green wolf had a frightful expression on its face, but, somehow, it seemed to be almost smirking up at him.

"…Fine." He growled, moving to the table. "One. Game. That's it."

"All right!" Sora cheered, leaping into the opposite chair enthusiastically. "Let's Duel!"

"Don't say it like that."

"Aw, Kouji, you're no fun at all…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"_It is time."_

The Shadows shrieked in excitement as the darkness around them and within them reverberated with the Master's voice.

"_Go, creatures of the Shadow Realm!"_ Ordered the Master in a laughing sort of growl. "_Go and claim this trash heap for our own! Spread as the Darkness spreads, permeate every crevice, leave nothing untouched!"_

As the Heartless began to scatter, obeying his orders to a T, Anubis laughed to himself in barely-contained excitement. From this vantage point, the city spread about him in all directions, a putrid mess of baffled creatures stumbling through their imaginary freedom of existence, trading what they believed to be power without so much as a second glance.

Power, Anubis knew, is one thing that can never be given or traded. It can only be taken, as his had so long ago. But it had been returned to him now, greater than ever, and soon it would be his enemy's power that would be taken. Permanently.

"Let the reign of the new Pharaoh begin." He laughed, spreading his hands over the Pyramid of Light that dangled from his neck.

And in an instant, light merged with darkness and fell over the city like a plague.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"No wonder you don't like card games, Kouji." Sora grinned from ear to ear as their little group, now turned into more of a mob, exited the game shop. "You kinda suck."

"Shut up." Kouji growled, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Jonochi was grinning, too. "Still think you're so tough, kid?"

"Quit heckling him, Jou." Honda slapped his friend on the back. "Just admit that you're glad there's finally someone around who's worse at it than you!"

"What was that?"

As the two street punks promptly engaged in a quick minor altercation, Anzu turned to the two younger boys with another of her pleasant smiles. "You both did really well for your first shot at the game. It was a great match!"

"Gee, you really think so?" Sora laughed awkwardly. Though his deck now rested in his pocket, he had kept one card out, a simple monster card picturing a small red fairy with a key as big as it was.

"It was an interesting match up." Suguroku chuckled, nodded sagely. "Sora-kun favors magic while Minamoto-kun seems to prefer trap cards. Strategically, the match up is just about equal. It's really by the skin of his teeth that Sora-kun managed to win. Very entertaining."

Yugi nodded with a wide grin. Kouji could tell by the advice he gave during their match that this boy knew more about the game than he let on. If anything, he must have been a venerable expert, someone for whom games were a major part of his life.

"And you really picked your decks well, both of you took to them right away." The short, spiky-haired young man nodded happily. "You really seem to like that Key Mace card, Sora-kun."

The Keyblade Master laughed awkwardly and stowed the card in question with the rest of his deck. "What can I say? It was fun."

"I wanna try." Donald squawked.

Goofy hyuk'ed. "But Donald, you couldn't hold the cards right. Everyone could see 'em!"

"Shuddup!"

Kouji scowled down at the silver-green wolf card…'Silver Fang' it was called… before stuffing the deck into his jacket pocket and grabbing Sora by the arm. "We need to talk."

"But…"

"_Now_."

Sora groaned, but let himself be dragged away from the group and back to the rear of the store. Once they were along, Kouji let go and the Keyblade Master spun to glare at his companion. "What is your problem?"

"I don't have one." Kouji countered sharply. "You're the one who's wasting time."

"Wasting…"

Kouji's glare sharpened. "Have you seen one Heartless since we got here?"

"Well, no…"

"So why the hell are we sticking around?"

Sora groaned lightly and rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Kouji, lighten up. We can relax a bit, you know, play a few games…"

"We don't have time for games!" Kouji snapped, his voice laced with a lupine growl.

Sora took a step backwards and gritted his teeth. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"We don't have time to be playing around." Kouji growled slowly, his voice measured and calm. "Your friend is stuck in the same place as my brother, right?"

Sora stopped, wincing hesitantly. "Yeah…"

"And for all we know, the Heartless are swarming in on them as we speak." Kouji's voice had grown to an almost violently harsh level. "The more time we waste here, the less chance we have of getting them back in one piece, and you think we have time to waste playing card games?"

Sora made a low noise, something between a growl and a moan. He'd never had this kind of problem before, it had always been from world to world spend time in each one, make some friends, beat some Heartless, everything working out in the end…

"We… We should at least find the Keyhole." Sora muttered, summoning the Keyblade and fingering its hilt as a nervous reaction. "So that if the Heartless do come, this world won't be…"

The Keyblade suddenly jerked in his grip with a slight, bell-like tone, thrusting its own tip forward insistently towards a stack of cardboard boxes on the shop's rear wall. Kouji smirked. "Speak of the devil."

He crossed to the boxes - noting disdainfully that they were all marked with the logo of Duel Monster's parent company, Industrial Illusions Inc. - and shoved them out of the way to reveal…

Something they had not been expecting.

"What the hell?" Kouji deadpanned, staring at the device set into the shop's back wall.

"Is that really…" Sora blinked dumbly, lowering the Keyblade. "Half a Keyhole?"

Which indeed, it wasGlowing with the same bright, blue sparks at its outside boarder, the sheer edge that formed the flat break that would have separated this side from the other glowed as a line of crimson red that slashed straight down to complete a perfected half of a Keyhole. On the other side of that red line, there was nothing. Nothing at all.

Sora frowned and aimed his Keyblade at it, but nothing happened. He sighed and put the weapon away. "No good. It won't lock."

"So now what do we do?" Kouji asked, crossing his arms over his chest sourly.

"I'm not sure." Sora rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I guess we've got to find the other half."

"Sora! Kouji!"

Both boys snapped around at Donald's shrill cry from the front of the shop. It was followed by Anzu's voice, a shrill scream. "Wh-What are they? Get away!"

Sora snatched up the Keyblade and ran, with Kouji on his heels as soon as the Licht Sager had burst into illumination. As the pair slid around the corner, they had just enough time to take in the crowd of Heartless flooding the previously quiet streets before Honda's angry roar filled their ears.

"What the hell are these things?" He shouted, lunging into a fierce punch. The Shadow he had been aiming at slipped away without so much as a scratch.

"Trouble, that's what!" Jonochi snapped, kicking at a small cluster of the Heartless, who were not even phased by the attack. "Grr… Slippery little bastards!"

Donald and Goofy were backing up towards the door, using their magic and shields, respectively, to beat the Heartless away. Little Yugi was just inches behind them, armed with a broom that he used to knock away the few Heartless that slipped past Donald and Goofy, keeping them from the two figures just in front of the glass doors.

"Grandpa! Anzu!" Yugi gasped, swinging the broom. "Hurry! Get inside!"

"Yugi, be careful!" Anzu screamed. "Watch out! Honda! Jonochi!"

The two fighting teens spun on their heels to find a swarm of Heartless descending on them from a side street in great dark waves. They chattered and shrieked as they raised closer, and the two fighters reared back, raising their hands in a futile defense, and then…

With a slash and **a** bash, the heartless vanished before their claws could reach the two boys. Kouji and Sora straightened, bringing their respective weapons down and up into tense ready positions

"What were you saying about there not being Heartless?" Sora asked softly.

Kouji shrugged. "I've been wrong before."

Jonochi sputtered. "You _know_ these things? What're they, some old buddies of yours?"

"Don't insult me." Kouji rolled his eyes.

"We'll take care of this." Sora announced turning his head back just a bit. "You guys find someplace safe, and quick."

Now Honda looked offended. "You think we're just going to run?"

"Yes." Kouji snapped, and turned to slice into another wave of Heartless.

Sora gave the two boys an apologetic shrug. "You can't fight them. We can. Please, just…"

"Jonochi! Honda! Sora! Kouji!"

"Yugi!" Jonochi exclaimed as the boy ran up. "I told you to hide!"

Yugi slid to a stop in the center of the group and pointed wildly up into the sky without waiting for a breath. "Look, there!"

Their eyes were drawn upward by more than his cry. A beam of blue-white light had shot straight up from the center of town, slicing the sky almost in half. As they watched, four new beams sprung from its tip at exact 90 degree angles, arching down at other angles to form what was undoubtedly a huge pyramid.

"What the hell?" Honda exclaimed.

"What is that?" Sora asked breathlessly, spinning back around just barely in time to cut off another Heartless attack.

"I don't know." Yugi whispered, gazing up fearfully. "But whatever it is… I don't think it's good."

At the town's corners, each of the beams stretched until their tips hit the ground at precisely the same time. The moment they did, everything within their boundaries - indeed, everything within the entire city of Domino - was flooded with an unnatural mixture of darkness and light, laced with a terrible malice.

And then everything and everyone froze.

_**TBC…**_

Wow…these chapters keep getting longer and longer…

_**Jiminy's Journal - **(A.K.A. - GS's notes on people you need to know for Yu-Gi-Oh, if you don't already, and the Japanese names for those used to the English version.)_

**Yugi Motou - **A playful high school student who loves games and puzzles, Yugi is sort of a social loser. Okay, a big loser, and a major geek. But when he completes the five-thousand-year-old Millennium Puzzle, his mind becomes fused with a second identity (known to fan fiction writers as his 'Yami' or Dark Side) that turns his life around completely. He is known around school for rarely, if ever, losing a game, and for his friendly personality.

**Yami Yugi - **Also known as Yu-Gi-Oh (King of Games) or 'the Pharaoh', Yugi's other self challenges the people who abuse Yugi and his friends to illusion-based 'Shadow Games' in order to punish them for their sins. He is exceptionally skilled at games and, though he seems a bit crazy at first sight, and while he is nuts, he is really a kind person who cares for Yugi and his friends. He has no memory before Yugi released him from the Millennium Puzzle, but he is known to be the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh.

**Suguroku Motou (aka 'Grandpa' or 'Solomon Motou')** - Yugi's slightly eccentric grandfather who runs the Kame (Turtle) Game Store. Before he retired to sell games, he was a world-renowned gambler and explorer.

**Katsuya Jonochi (aka 'Joey Wheeler') - **Yugi's best friend who used to be his biggest bully, Jonochi was won over after Yugi save him and his friend Honda from the school's sadistic hall monitor. Jonochi is eager and boisterous, without a lot of common sense.

**Hiroto Honda (aka 'Tristan Taylor') **- Jonochi's best friend Honda used to help him pick on Yugi, but they became his friends after Yugi saved them. Honda is not as good at games as Yugi or Jonochi, but he is always there to cheer for his friends.

**Anzu Mazaki (aka 'Tea Gardner')** - Yugi's only female friend and long-time crush, Anzu is happy and supportive. She doesn't play games, but loves to cheer her friends on. She has a crush on Yami, which complicates things.

**Ryou Bakura - **I'm getting him in here if at all possible! Ryou is a transfer student to Yugi's class who is admired by the girls for his good looks, but is very withdrawn and would rather play tabletop RPGs with his friends. He also owns a Millennium Item, the Millennium Ring. Unfortunately, the spirit within his Ring is a half-crazed tomb robber with a dark past who takes control without Ryou's permission and is obsessed with collecting (read: stealing) the other six Millennium Items.

**Anubis - **Appearing only in the Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters movie, Anubis is a dark magician said to be an ancient enemy of the Pharaoh's. Not much is known about him, and he was lame in the movie, so I gave him more of a personality. He controls the 'Eighth Millennium Item', the Pyramid of Light.

P.S. - I'm using the Japanese names because my best resource in **(is?)** the Yu-Gi-Oh manga published by Shonen Jump, and those are the names they use.

If you don't know the term, 'munny' is the form of currency used in the worlds of Kingdom Hearts. It's pronounced the same way as 'money', and you can by a simple potion with about 60 of them, so they're closer to Yin than dollars. Oh, and yes, Sora can be exceedingly childish sometimes. The Halloweentown/Christmastown world in KH2 was proof of that - I was embarrassed _for_ him.


	14. Chapter 13: Domino City Pt 2

Thanks for being paitent, everyone! Syaoran and I have been busy lately, mostly because school's started again...for us both, I think. Either way, we're busy again, which means you're going to have to be paitent with us, okay? Enjoy the chapter! (And thank you to bluemoonlightgirl, who pointed out to me that this chapter wasn't finished because of the blankity-blank uploading service. AGAIN. Jeez, I wish they'd work that bug out already!)

Whoo-hoo, I finished writing this world over Synod, and I was right - it IS three chapters long. And I already love it, it's cock-full of clues and hints, and action and drama! My only regret is that I was not, in fact, able to work in my favorite Yu-Gi-Oh character, Ryou Bakura. Damn.

**IMPORTANT NOTE, READ THIS NOW: **The next several chapters of the side story (you remember… _Elemental Hearts: Inside/Outside_ with Riku and Kouichi) has some major plot points and important information. It will be eventually described in this story, but if you really want to know the whole story as it is happening, you need to go read I/O. Also, yes, I/O has some shonen-ai hints, but you can skip by that - the only chapter where it's really blatant is number six. It's just very important that you read from Ch. 7 and on of I/O. This is where the two stories really start to coincide.

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Yu-Gi-Oh is the group property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha INC, Konami and VIZ's Shonen Jump._

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 13: Domino City Pt. 2**

Yugi shuddered with an almost painful jerk, dropping to his knees in mild shock. He panted, feeling roughly as though he'd just been shot out of a cannon through a pane of bulletproof glass.

"_Are you all right, Yugi?"_ A familiar voice echoed through his mind. It was his other self, the Pharaoh, his dark side… Yami.

"_I'm all right, Yami."_ He thought, projecting his words into his own mind. "_Just…a bit surprised, that's all."_

_"Be on your guard."_ Yami warned quietly. "_Something is amiss."_

Yugi opened his eyes and saw that, as usual, Yami was far too right. All around them, the city's colors had been warped into a strange bluish gray, almost completely saturated in the dull, pale monochrome. The only true color came from the glowing beams of laser-like light and the shimmering, glass-like blue barrier that spread between them, trapping the entire city within the pyramid's boundaries. Everyone and everything inside the barrier was frozen - completely and totally motionless in an instant of time. Jonochi dangled forward in mid-punch, while Donald hovered in mid-air with a half-formed lightening bolt forking from the end of his wand and Anzu's hand stretched out for her friends, her mouth frozen in a cry of warning. Everything was completely locked into a split-second of timeThere was no movement, none at all, from any of them, not a twitch, not a breath.

"Oh no…" Yugi whispered aloud, climbing to his feet. "Jonochi… Honda… Everyone."

"_I don't think they've been hurt, Yugi." _Yami soothed from within. "_I sense a great amount of Shadow Real energy. I believe that this city has been partially transported into the Shadow Realm, and only those with the same power are able to break free."_

"That makes sense." Yugi said sadly, turning his eyes to where both Sora and Kouji were frozen back-to-back in their battle-ready stances, their odd weapons emitting a soft glow of their own. "But if that's true, we have to do something, or everyone will…"

He was cut off by a sudden loud _crack_. Sora's Keyblade vibrated wildly in his hand and jerked, more and more of the shattering noises filling the air. Kouji's light-sword was doing the same, the glowing blade slowly increasing its luminosity as long fractures began to appear through the monotone of the two **boys'** skin, revealing their true coloring like paint cracking away to reveal a layer beneath.

"_Yugi, stand back!"_ Yami warned, and the boy jumped backwards just as Kouji and Sora broke free with the resounding chorus of shattering glass. Both of the younger boys hit the ground, Sora on his back and Kouji on all fours.

"Ow…" Groaned the brown-haired boy, sitting up and rubbing his head painfully. "That hurt…"

Kouji was panting, trying to catch his breath, as though he'd been struggling hard, his muscles tense and his knuckles white around the Sager's hilt. "What the hell was that?"

"Are you two okay?" Yugi hurried over to help Sora to his feet.

"Yeah, fine." Sora groaned, stretched, and came face to face with Goofy, frozen in mid-leap and half-crouched over his shield. "GAH! Wh-What the heck?"

Yugi glanced over his shoulder quickly, then hurried to explain. "The city's been put under a kind of spell, everything's stuck at one moment. For some reason, we're the only ones who could break free."

"Why?" Kouji asked, standing.

"I don't know." Yugi reached down and touched the heavy gold pendent dangling around his neck with a contemplative, loving air. "My Millennium Puzzle protected me, but I don't know about you guys…"

The Keyblade let out a light ring, as though drawing attention to itself. Sora lifted it a bit and smiled. "I do. The Keyblade always takes care of me. The Licht Sager must've done the same for you, Kouji."

"You think?" Kouji glanced down at the gleaming silver blade. It hummed quietly, like it always did, but now the tone seemed almost happy with itself, as though it had just completed some great and important task.

"But then…what do we do now?" Sora asked blankly, waving his hand in front of the immobile Goofy's eyes. "We can't just leave them all like this!"

"Of course we can't." Yugi nodded. "So we have to fix this."

"How?"

Kouji stretched his tense shoulders and groaned a bit. "That should be obvious. We go to find the source and take it out. Permanently."

"But who is 'the source'?" Sora asked. "Could the Heartless do something lie this?"

"Not by themselves…" Yugi muttered softly, a dawning realization starting to shine in his amethyst eyes. "But if they had some help, I know who could pull this off…"

"Incoming."

Sora and Yugi started at the calm tone in Kouji's voice. The dark-haired boy had tensed again, his face turned away from them and both hands gripping the Licht Sager in a harsh ready-for-attack stance. Just over his shoulder, the others could see a small mob of black creatures… Heartless, of course… rushing at them.

"Uh-oh." Yugi took a step back. "Should we… run?"

"What good will that do?" Kouji commented coldly, shifting his weapon-grip into attack. "We'll have to fight them sooner or later. We better make it sooner."

"Something's wrong, though." Sora muttered, his body slowly curling into the low stance that moved easily into his most powerful strikes. "I've never seen Heartless like that before."

Kouji silently agreed: these Heartless seemed very strange. They bore the familiar Emblem, so they had to be Heartless, but no two looked like anything they'd ever seen or even vaguely similar to one another. While normal hoards of Heartless tended to look like mobs of biological clones, every creature in this great mob was a different shape, size, even color lacing their black bodies had been strangely skewed into dozens of wild patterns and shades.

By the time this had all registered, the attacking mob was on top of them. Kouji and Sora instantly slid back to cover Yugi, who's hands went almost immediately to the Puzzle in his own strange defensive reaction.

With a sideways glance at each other, Sora and Kouji swiped their weapons deep into the mob of monsters and managed to do… absolutely nothing.

All Sora managed to get out was a startled, "What the…?" before the Keyblade bounced back and nearly knocked its owner to the floor. Kouji's stroke went straight through the Heartless he'd been aiming for, loosing his balance and leaving his torso open to the creature's sudden, harsh attack. The black-hair swordsman doubled over, gripping his stomach.

"Minamoto-kun!" Yugi gasped, taking a few steps forward. A Heartless lunged at him, missing only because the boy's body jerked backwards in a motion that didn't quite seem to be a natural reaction.

"Watch it!" Sora shouted, scrambling in front of their only unarmed member. "Something's majorly weird here. I can't even hit them!"

Kouji growled, swiping uselessly at the Heartless as more and more piled around and on top of him. He could hear both Yugi and Sora shouting in panic and pain, but he couldn't move to see them. He could hardly open his eyes. His arms gave out under the weight, dropping him onto the hard sidewalk as darkness covered his eyes. He couldn't move… He couldn't breathe…

"_Am I dying?"_

A wave of indignation rippled through his otherwise unfeeling body. Die? Here? Like this?

No way in hell.

"_I can't die like this!"_ His mind burst out angrily. "_I haven't found Nii-san…or the others…I can't die like this!"_

The howl of a mighty wolf broke through his thoughts, and suddenly the weight vanished.

Kouji craned his head up painfully, trying to focus as best he could through the swirling shadowy remains and the keening screeches of dozens and dozens of Heartless. They were vanishing, dying, but why? What could be beating them if the Licht Sager and even the Keyblade couldn't do it?

The shadows cleared, and Kouji found himself staring.

Standing right before him, head raised grandly to the strangely-like monochrome sky, was the wolf from his vision, the monster from the card resting in his pocket, the creature who had called to him in this world. 'Silver Fang'.

As Kouji slowly lifted himself to his feet, Silver Fang planted all four of his paws firmly and curled his long muzzle into a harsh snarl. He growled and snapped threateningly at any Heartless who dared to venture within five feet.

Kouji stood slowly, watching the wolf in a cautious manner. Slowly, he took a wide step to the right, then another.

Silver Fang took a small bound and placed himself firmly in front of the boy again, still growling out at the black monsters. Kouji stepped again, a bit further this time, and the wolf leapt after him, never dropping its stance.

"_He's protecting me." _Kouji realized dumbly. "_But only me…"_

His eyes scanned the mob for the other two, finding his companions in similar situations. A small red fairy darted around Sora's head, leaving a trail of golden dust to drift down onto the confused boy's shoulders, whacking the shadowy enemies with a strength that shouldn't have been possible from such a tiny Key. Yugi, on the other hand, was not surprised at all. In fact, he looked downright calm as a little brown furball growled in an adorably threatening manner by his side.

"What the hell?" Sora wondered out loud. The Key Mace - fairy thing turned to him with a big smile and tapped him on the nose with its Key. Sora sneezed.

Yugi chuckled softly and for some reason, the cool, calm, collected sound made Kouji's hair stand on end. "Don't worry. I think I know what's going on."

Sora and Kouji turned incredulous looks on the young gamer, keeping one eye on the Heartless cautiously.

"Kuriboh and I have fought together before." The little fuzz ball butted against his outstretched hand with a light coo. "I believe that Key Mace and Silver Fang may have attached themselves in a similar manner."

Kouji, not actually understanding a word of what the gamer said, looked down at Silver Fang, who was now braced beside his right ankle, tense and ready to act. "Can they fight? Against those Heartless, I mean."

"Indeed." Yugi smirked in an almost devilish manner. "Because they, too, are a part of the power of this world, the way that those creatures have become. I believe that they will fight for you, if you ask them to."

"Ask?" Sora blinked, stepping back from the chattering mob of Heartless.

"Like this." Yugi, on the other hand, took a step closer to the black creatures, which shrieked wildly and lunged at him in one great mob. But the spiky-haired boy was not fazed **(fazed)**. "Kuriboh! Go!"

The furball let out a delight squeal and shot through the air at his 'master's command. It swiped out at the Heartless with its little claws and sent its own body bouncing off and between them at high speeds, knocking the black creatures to the floor and blasting them away almost instantly.

"Awesome!" Sora's dull, confused expression perked into a battle-ready grin as he glanced up at Key Mace. "You ready, buddy?"

Key Mace giggled and did a mid-air flip, making Sora grin wider at the show. "Okay, sic 'em!"

The little fairy darted out and quickly proved to be stronger than one might have thought. Each strike of the tiny Key left a puff of black smoke and any of the Heartless who managed to get past her missed Sora by several feet, blinded by the golden dust that rained down from the fairy's flight path.

Kouji raised a curious eyebrow as a low whimper floated to his ears. He looked down to find Silver Fang gazing up at him with a wide-eyed, pitiful expression. He whined again and pawed at Kouji's ankle, one leg raised in a definite 'beg'.

"…Fine." Kouji shrugged. "Go for it, then."

Silver Fang barked happily and gave his tail one joyful wag before he leapt into the fray, slicing through the ongoing waves of Heartless with his claws and fangs and earth-shattering howls. The howls were especially painful, deafening, shaking, absolutely mind blowing, but they held a sort of length and tone that indicated the creature was holding back.

Before one could do so much as turn their head, the relatively large group of seemingly unstoppable Heartless had vanished into the monochrome of this frozen world, leaving only the three boys and the creatures that stood with them.

"Wow." Sora commented with a low whistle, watching Key Mace as it circled his head in a kind of victory lap, accompanied by her own voice of happy bells. "We couldn't even touch them, but these little guys wiped them out like they were nothing! Were these guys always this strong?"

"Not by themselves." Yugi smiled again, scratching Kuriboh behind what could only be called the 'ear'. "Monsters cannot use their full power without someone to guide them in battle. They draw their true strength from their duelists - that is to say, from the Duelist's Heart."

Kouji looked down at Silver Fang, who was now yipping happily, wagging his tail, and butting up against the boy's free left hand. "Really…"

"Indeed." Yugi nodded sagely. "The bond formed between Monster and Duelist is known as the Heart of the Cards, and if you believe in that Heart, the cards and their monster spirits will be more than happy to grant you their strength."

"The Heart of the Cards…" Sora reached up with two gloved hands and caught Key Mace gently. The little creature's head popped out between the boy's thumbs and let out another bell-like chime, which made Sora grin. "Cool."

"Ch." Kouji blew his bangs up and moved forward, Silver Fang on his heels. "I'll buy that, for now. But there's just one thing I want to know."

"Oh? And that is?"

With an electric buzz, Yugi's words were cut off by the sudden reappearance of the Licht Sager, its shining tip now coming to rest in the small of the gamer's throat. Amethyst eyes widened with a sharp breath to meet cold, glaring navy ones as Kouji faced the older boy down.

"Who the hell are you?" Growled the young swordsman.

Sora moved to mediate on the tri-haired boy's behalf. "Hey, cool it, Kouji. It's Yugi, remember? We just met him a few hours ago!"

"Like hell we did." Kouji hissed again, shaking Sora's hand off his shoulder and never breaking the course of his glare. "Whoever you are, you're _not_ the Yugi Motou we met before. You don't feel anything like him."

Yugi raised a confused and curious eyebrow at an unfamiliar term. "'Feel'?"

"Yes. Feel." Kouji grit his teeth with a bit of a hiss. "I've been training in martial arts since I could walk, and that's more than enough to start picking up on a person's basic energy. Yours is not the same as Yugi's. So who are you? And where is he?"

Yugi… or rather, the not-Yugi… looked surprised for just a moment, but it soon faded into an expression of calm understanding. "I see. I've never met anyone with such sharp senses. That's very impressive."

"Start talking." Kouji snapped. "Who are you?"

"Please calm down." Not-Yugi soothed gently, raising his arms in a placating manner and nodding kindly to a very confused Sora. "I promise you, Yugi has not been harmed. I could not harm him, even if by some madness I wanted to. He is me."

Sora groaned in confusion. "Say what?"

"In a way, I am Yugi, and he is me." Continued the other calmly. "I'm not quite sure myself who I am or why this has happened, but I know that I am a sort of alternate consciousness within Yugi Motou. We are two minds sharing the same body."

Kouji narrowed his eyes. "Like a split personality, or a parasite."

"Neither." Not-Yugi lifted the gold pendant into his hands contemplatively. "Or, I would like to think, closer to the former. All I know is that our bond was formed simultaneously when Yugi completed the Millennium Puzzle. That moment is the start of my current memories. I can tell you no more than that."

"So you think you came from the Puzzle?" Sora summarized as much as he could.

"That is our best guess so far." Yami sighed, his purple eyes drifting to the light-blade at his throat. "Now, if you could please put away your sword…"

"I don't like it." Kouji growled, pulling the Licht Sager down but not putting it away.

Yami relaxed a bit, but his face remained curious. "Have I yet given you a reason not to trust me?"

"Why should we trust something that takes over a person's body so it can live?" Kouji replied, his tone cold.

Yami raised his eyebrow. "You sound as though you've had a bad experience."

"Maybe I have." Sora blinked at the strangely icy tone in Kouji's voice that indicated a barely-contained sort of rage. "A few eyes ago, someone gave my… someone very important to me… a sort of 'Item', and it corrupted him. That…_thing_…forced him to do things he would never have done if he was himself. It tried to completely wipe him out, his memories, his personality, everything."

Sora nodded, understanding the connection, his jaw set in a manner that was almost tough, but leaned more towards being sad. "Yeah, I get it. The same thing happened to Riku… my best friend. Ansem would have taken his body over forever if we hadn't been able to stop him."

Yami was silent for the entire time the two boys spoke, thought Kuriboh cooed a few worried little whimpers. Finally, the tri-color haired teen took a deep breath. "I understand your concerns, and why you both must feel that way, but I assure you that my bond with Yugi is consensual in both ways. I only take control now because I do not wish that he or his friends be harmed in any way."

Both swordsman and Keyblader retained skeptical expressions, causing the Spirit to sigh. "Please, we need to trust each other if we are to get through this. I may be used to operating in the Shadow Realm, but these creatures are new to me, powerful in a way I have never known. This is a challenge I cannot complete on my own."

"How do you know this stuff?" Sora asked, generally confused and curious, as Key Mace chirped at his side. "And what do you mean, you know this place?"

"It's simple, really." Yami touched the Millennium Puzzle meaningfully, as his other form had before. "Yugi and I have been through this realm before. And because of those experiences, we know who could be casting this spell, and I can feel that he has acquired a great amount of power from those… Heartless… creatures. Even with Kuriboh, I cannot defeat Anubis without your help."

Sora drew in a deep, apprehensive breath through his nose. "Anubis…?"

Kouji's scowl deepened, so Yami decided to play his final bid. "As you can tell, Yugi and I are more than familiar with Anubis, and with the Shadow Realm. And, obviously, the two of you know much about these creatures you call Heartless. If we work together, combing our knowledge, skills and the help of our companions, there is no doubt that we will be able to stop this and rescue our friends."

His amethyst eyes turned sadly to the unmoving forms of Jonochi and Honda. Sora's eyes also drifted to Donald and Goofy as Key Mace and Kuriboh cooed worriedly. "You… You really think we can get them back?"

"Indeed." Yami nodded confidently. "I have been in this position before and emerged victorious. I am certain that together, we can do it again."

Both pairs of eyes turned to Kouji, followed by the wide yellow and tiny blue orbs of the two monsters. Kouji had a serious frown on his face, a contemplative expression of deep thought that indicated the wheels were turning patiently, calculating, weighing the options. Silver Fang, still sitting by his ankles loyally, whimpered a bit and licked the boy's hand.

"…Fine." Kouji sighed, pulling his hand away from the wolf and slipping the Licht Sager back into its place at his side. "Let's get this over with. I'm about ready to kick someone's ass."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Anubis chuckled to himself as he gazed out over the frozen city. The Heartless were now combing the light-paralyzed streets, blanketing anything and everything they touched with a wondrous blend of light and shadow, the perfect mixture of cold burning light and beautiful, icy darkness…

"Well, well. You've done a pretty good job here, Anu."

Anubis was not startled by the voice, since a swirling portal into the Corridors of Darkness had opened two feet from his right elbow just seconds before it spoke. He turned to the dual-haired teen and smirked. "Impressed are yeh, Ansem?"

"Not hardly." The teen who had borrowed the name of Ansem the Wise - or perhaps it was Ansem, Seeker of Darkness - sniffed lightly with a cocky smirk of his own. "Just interested. Rather surprising that you managed to get the Heartless to accept the Light, even in such a small quantity."

Anubis's smirk widened into a toothy, animalistic grin. "Give 'em the right angle and anybody will 'accept' anything you want them to." His huge, dirty, tanned hands reached down to grab the blue-crystal pyramid that dangled from his thick, beefy neck. "Meh Pyramid of Light was specifically made to counter the Pharaoh's 'righteous items' that tame the shadows. With this light, real light, Ah can set the Heartless free on this world to fulfill their ultimate potential!"

"Just be careful how you use that 'light'," warned 'Ansem', crossing his arms over his black-clothed chest, "or this place'll wind up crawling in Nobodies."

Anubis smirked at him again. "Like you?"

The teenager scowled and turned to glare back out at the time-frozen city streets, which seemed to be contained in an immense _Stopga_ spell. A bit of movement in the not-too-distant distance caught his violet eye, and a black eyebrow cocked. "O-ho. Looks like you've got a couple of bugs in your plan, and I ain't talking about the Shadows."

Anubis followed his gaze to a tiny spot of light advancing through the darkly-lit streets. Focusing his hawk-like yellow and blue eyes, he soon uncovered three… no, six, figures: three humans - two radiating light, one wrapped in a thick layer of warm dark - and three Shadow Realm beasts, all cloaked in the glowing darkness that designated the loyal servants of the Pharaoh and his Millennium Item baring cohorts.

The feral King of the Deserts just grinned. "Ah. The Pharaoh an' his guards are comin' for a visit at last."

"You aren't worried?" The teen's eyebrow quirked ever more.

"Of course not. This is what Ah've planned all along." Anubis's eager animal face returned, and he turned with a dramatic sweep of his fur-lined cloak. "Now the _real_ games can begin. Ah'm gonna make that pious, pompous piece a' gold case wish he'd never gotten back tuh'gether again."

'Ansem' glanced back out at the rapidly approaching group, then let a cocky grin slide up the side of his face. "Games, huh? Mind if I join in?""

"The more, the merrier." Anubis turned his head back to give the teen a falsely curious gaze. "But why yer sudden interest, Ansem?"

"No real reason." The boy popped his gloved knuckles as he turned with the much taller, burlier man. "I've got a score to settle with the Light-brats… and it's really gonna be fun getting into Ponytail's head."

Anubis let out a light snort of amusement. "Sounds like fun."

And they both stepped off the roof of the building, dropping four stories to the ground and landed without so much as a breath from either of them.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"So you're sure this 'Anubis' guy is at the museum?" Sora asked Yami intently as Key Mace chirped from her place in the Keyblade Master's hood.

"Positive." Yami's deep voice was a stark contrast to the shrill-yet-agreeable shrieks of Kuriboh beside him. "The beams of the Pyramid originated from that spot, I can see that from here. And Anubis's mummy has been on display there. It must be the place."

Kouji glanced about them, as did Silver Fang, though the creature's efforts were pointedly ignored. "Are we any closer?"

"Nearly there." Yami-Yugi motioned down the apparently endless street. "It's just a few more blocks."

But instead of being soothed by this news, Kouji's s cautious glare simply intensified and he slid to a stop. Yami raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong, Minamoto-kun?"

"…Yeah. Real wrong." Kouji muttered, a frown set deep in his face. "Don't you think it's weird that we've gotten this close to the 'center' and there isn't a single Heartless around?"

"You're right." Sora's fingers curled more tightly around the thick grip of the Keyblade. From his hood, Key Mace let out a few tinkling chimes and flared her transparent wings. "Something's got to be up."

Kouji's hand moved to grip the handle of the Licht Sager, slipping into the familiar opening stance of _Lai_. Silver Fang looked up at him with big blue eyes and whined, pawing at Kouji's ankle and licking the hand that reached for the weapon.

Kouji jerked his hand and his leg away, startled and glaring. "Stop that."

Silver Fang whimpered and pulled away as though he'd been kicked. Sora instantly leapt to the creature's defense, Key Mace flying up to let out an offended tinkling cry. "C'mon, Kouji! Don't be so mean! Silver Fang just wants to help you!"

Kouji's glare intensified. "Who said I wanted his help?"

"Minamoto-kun." Yami whispered softly, coming to Kouji's side. "You may not want his help, but the fact is that Silver Fang _needs_ yours. You are his Duelist, he came to be through your deck and your Heart. He cannot act unless your Heart allows him to. You are his power, and in this world, he is your protection."

Kouji turned to face this so-called 'King of Games' with a sullen expression and a light sigh. "Look," he muttered, "In case you didn't notice, I don't really do this whole 'game' thing. I just don't. And I'm not going to stand back and let some… _creature_… fight my battles for me. If nothing else, I'll do that much on my own. That's all there is to it."

He turned on his heels with a light huff and stormed in the direction of the museum. Behind him, Silver Fang, as though realizing that he really wasn't wanted, sank to the ground with a painful whimper and covered his head with his front paws.

"Auw, it's okay, Silver Fang." Sora soothed, kneeling down to scratch the silver hound behind the ears as Kuriboh and Key Mace hovered over to make worried, comforting squeaks. "It's not like Kouji doesn't like you, really. See, I think it sounds like he had some abandonment issues in his childhood, and he expresses that through a defensive attitude and emotional wall…"

A small rock, a pebble really, flew through the air and bounced off the middle of his forehead. The Keyblade Master rubbed the spot painfully. "Ow. What was that for?"

"Why the hell are you psychoanalyzing me?" Kouji growled, his right fist gripping another stone.

"Pretty good, right?" Sora gave a bright, lopsided grin. "I picked it up out of the books in the castle library."

"You _know_ that's not what I meant! Why the hell do you think you can-" Kouji cut off suddenly, his eyes sharply focused over Sora's right shoulder. "Where did Yami go?"

Sora blinked at him blankly, then twisted around. Indeed, neither the Spirit-who-wasn't-quite-Yugi-Motou nor Kuriboh was anywhere to be found. It was like they had vanished… into thin air.

"Where are they? Yami! Yugi!"

"Calm down." Kouji grabbed Sora's arm before the other could move. "It's probably a trap, and if we're not careful, we'll get caught in it, too."

Key Mace's chime-like voice suddenly rose into a cry of warning. Kouji spun to face the noise, then realized that his gripping hand had now closed in on itself.

"Sora!" He shouted, but the Keyblade Master and his fairy familiar were gone.

A light whine filled his ears, followed by a low growl. It was Silver Fang's early warning before a hand suddenly descended on Kouji's shoulder. The Licht Sager was out and illuminated in a split second as he spun to face the new opponent…

"Kouji, wait! It's me!"

Kouji stopped dead, if for no better reason than he simply couldn't believe his eyes.

"…Nii-san?"

_**TBC…**_

There are two kinds of Heartless, natural and 'Emblems'. Emblems are Heartless types that are the result of the experiments concocted by Xehanort, assistant to King Ansem the Wise, who later stole the name of the Hollow Bastion ruler to become Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. Emblem Heartless all have a marking in the shape of a black-and-red twisted heart and come in all varieties, shapes and sizes. The only Natural Heartless that I know of are the Shadows and the Neo-Shadows, but they come in great numbers.

These three monsters are, in fact, not that strong. Kuriboh is a One-Star Monster with 300 ATK and 200 DEF. Key Mace (#2) is a Four-Star Monster with 1050 ATK and 1200 DEF. Silver Fang is a Four-Star monster with 1200 ATK and 800 DEF. They are all very low-level monsters… _alone_. But when skillfully used, they can be quite formidable, if that is your style.

_Corridors of Darkness -_ pathways that exist naturally between the Worlds. Beings of Darkness, such as the Heartless, the Organization and Riku (in the second game), can slip in and out of these to travel between worlds.

_Stopga - _Highest level of the 'Stop' series of spells. As their name suggests, these spells stop their targets in time, allowing Sora & Co to bash the hell out of them as they wish.

_Lai - _A Japanese sword style that I picked up from an episode of _Saint Seiya_. It is supposed to be very effective and powerful, a balance of both offense and defense. However, it only has its power as long as the sword remains in the sheaf. If you force the swordsman to remove the sword before they are prepared to, the move will be killed and the sword will be useless. It seemed like an advanced technique that Kouji would enjoy learning.

P.S. - To all picky people of grammar, not just my beta, but all of the reviewers who constantly point this out erroneously: when a proper name ends in an 's', the possessive form of said name requires an apostrophe AND an 's'. In other words: Anubis's, James's, Remus's, etc. The apostrophe without an 's' is for groups of more than one: Duelists', boys', playmates', etc. Pardon the touchiness, I'm just tired of hearing it in half-a dozen reviews…


	15. Chapter 14: Domino City Pt 3

Eep! This is embaressing! -.-' I accidentally posted Syoaran's beta instead of my .html file! They were in the same location on my desktop, under different file names, but I must have clicked the wrong one without noticing! I'm sorry everyone, I appologize for any confusion it might have made! This is so embaressing...

_Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Yu-Gi-Oh is the group property of Kazuki Takahashi, Shueisha INC, Konami and VIZ's Shonen Jump._

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 14: Domino City Pt. 3**

"Kouji? Kouji!"

Sora's voice echoed inexplicably through the fog, accompanied by the gentle chimes of Key Mace calling for her own companions. The brown-haired Keyblade master and his friend were alone in the dark street and, apparently, hopelessly lost in the fog of not-darkness, not-light. "Yami! Yugi! Kouji! Where _are_ you guys?"

"What's the matter, Sora? Lost something?"

He froze at the familiar, hauntingly familiar voice, and turned very slowly to face the speaker with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"…Riku?"

Key Mace let out a few loud chimes in protest. The silver-haired boy just grinned brightly. "As clueless as ever, eh, Sora?"

Sora rubbed his eyes, nearly dropping the Keyblade as he did so, and blinked several times. "Riku? Is… Is it really you, Riku?"

"Of course it's me!" The blue-eyed boy before him chuckled a familiar sort of chuckle. "What, do I have something on my face?"

With a delighted laugh, a wide grin spread over Sora's face. "Riku! It _is_ you!"

And, ignoring the warning bells springing from Key Mace's tiny mouth, the Keyblade Master ran to greet his long-lost best friend with an excited, wide-armed hug.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Sora! Kouji!"

The King of Games now found himself very much alone, with the only creature in sight being loyal Kuriboh, the only sound his own footsteps, and the only presence that of himself and his mind-partner.

"_Where'd they go?"_ Yugi's voice asked, the pitch raised slightly in worry.

"I'm not sure," Yami muttered, taking a backward step closer to Kuriboh. "But I somehow get the feeling that we're the ones who have moved, not them."

Yugi's spectral form, visible to Yami only through their bond, looked confused. "_What do you mean?"_

"The space around us has changed slightly." Kuriboh cooed in agreement with Yami's comment. "The air is a bit different, heavier… it's almost as if we've been dragged into a separate space, different from the Shadow Realm, yet still entwined with it somehow."

"_But how is that possible?"_

"It must be because of Anubis's Pyramid of Light." Yami muttered, frowning. "Do you remember what your Grandfather said when we saw it in the museum?"

Yugi thought hard for a moment, then his face lit up. "_Oh! That's right! He said that the Pyramid of Light was made to counter the Millennium Items, right?"_

"Yes." Yami nodded. "The Pyramid of Light was created to balance the shadow power of the Millennium Items, in order to prevent a collapse into chaos. However, to properly counter the just purpose of the Millennium Items, the Pyramid had to be… different."

Yugi took a deep breath. "_Different how?"_

"The Millennium Items were created to harbor the power of True Darkness that lives deep in the Shadow Realm to use it for the protection of the people of Egypt and, now, the world." Yami's frown solidified and his eyes darkened to a dangerous level. "However, the Pyramid of Light…"

"Greetings, Pharaoh!"

Yami, Yugi and Kuriboh all jumped at the sudden cannon-shot of a voice, the furball-like creature flailing its green arms and legs to right itself once more as it bobbed through the air. Yami let out a low hiss like a cornered cobra as he slowly turned to face this new challenger. "Anubis."

The feral wizard laughed his deep, all-encompassing laugh, accompanied by the high-pitched shrieks and wild chatter from the mob of Heartless gathered around him. His aura, if that's what you wanted to call the putrid black energy radiating off his immense form, nearly had a smell as well as a shape, and both made the two minds inhabiting the body of the King of Games want to retch.

"Ah would like to welcome you to meh world, Pharaoh!" Announced the fur-cloaked wild man, indicating the space around them. "This here is where our Shadow Game is gonna rumble!"

Yami gritted his teeth, even though he had been expecting this. "A Shadow Game."

"Yeah." Anubis smirked at the Spirit's not-question, spreading his arms wide. "'Ere, in the mess yeh locked meh up in fer five thousand years, Ah can finally get mah revenge on you and claim the ultimate prize once I…"

"I'm not interested in your revenge-games!" Yami snapped as Kuriboh shrieked in agreement. "Tell me what you have done with my friends!"

Anubis scowled, obviously peeved at having been cut off in the middle of his thoroughly prepared speech, but seemed determined not to allow this minor annoyance to get in the way of his grandest moment. "Ah assume yeh mean the two little Light-brats, eh?"

"Sora and Kouji." Yami snapped. "Where are they?"

The smirk returned to Anubis's lips cockily. "Ah guess yeh could say they're playin' a couple of 'games' of their own… Just like yer gonna be, Pharaoh. Whether yeh like it 'er not…"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Riku!" Sora gasped, clasping his arms around his friend's shoulders excitedly, conveniently 'forgetting' that Riku was not particularly fond of being touched. "I'm so glad you're okay! I was worried about you!"

Instead of punching him and to Sora's general surprise, Riku just laughed. His black-gloved hand moved to pat the Keyblade Master warmly on the back. "I get it, I get it. I missed you too, Sora."

Key Mace was shrieking now, her chime like tones shooting into the range of only barely-filled water glasses. She was flying frantic laps around the two boys, waving her tiny Key and trying her very hardest to cover them both in gleaming golden dust.

Sora pulled away from the friendly embrace and swatted at his monster companion, catching her carefully by the wing(s?) so as not to hurt her. "Hey now. What's gotten into you?"

Key Mace shrieked again in the highest notes of a badly tuned piccolo, straining at the hand that held her and flailing the golden key wildly. Sora was so busy trying to figure out what she was saying that he didn't notice the wooden sword until its blunt tip thrust into his left shoulder.

"Ow!" Exclaimed the Keyblade Master, jumping back and inadvertently dragging Key Mace with him. "Riku, what are you doing?"

"What's the matter, Sora?" The silver-haired boy smirked, pulling the toy blade back into this favored chin-level straight-thrust stance. "It's just our old game, remember? Back on the Island, everybody used to play all the time, just like this. It's just a game."

But it wasn't. Sora's left arm, the one just beneath the fast stab that Riku had snuck in, had gone completely numb and hung uselessly at his side as though every nerve had been shut off against the boy's will. The tips of his fingers could not be felt, indeed, nor could the rest of his hand, his wrist, his elbow, anything. There was not even the mild tingle of a limb cut off from circulation. The only reason Sora's body knew that the limb had not been severed at the joint was the useless weight that dangled awkwardly at his side.

After trying futilely to move it, Sora looked up to demand what was happening. He summoned the Keyblade to defend himself, but instead all he had was a hard wooden sword, identical to the one his opponent had.

"Riku, what's going on?" he demanded, knocking away the toy's next attack with his own. "What's the matter? Stop this!"

"But this was always so much _fun_, remember?" Riku's grin twisted up into a wicked smirk. "Don't be so scared, Sora. It's only a _game_."

And then he lunged again.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouichi smiled warmly, his navy eyes pulling away from the glowing blade of light to look into the identical orbs of his brother. The older twin was tearing up quite a bit, the silvery beads of salt water building up on the edge of the dam like liquid mother-of-pearl.

"Oh, Kouji." He whispered, taking a step forward and reaching out for the other with searching, longing arms. "I've missed you so much."

Kouji's resolve was shaken a bit at the tears and the loving tone, but his defensive instincts flared their way to the surface. "Nii-san?"

"Of course it's me." For a moment, a flash of hurt slid across Kouichi's face. "It's me, Kouji."

The swordsman's sour heart melted and crumbled at the pained tone and the single tear that slid down the soft cheek. He was about to step forward and take his precious brother into his arms when suddenly, Kouichi spoke again.

"How could you not know me, Kouji?" He sniffled lightly. "We… We look exactly alike!"

At those words, Kouji stopped dead. Then a fierce snarl slid unbidden over his lips to accompany the flames of anger reflected in his eyes. In an instant, the Licht Sager was back in attack position, its blade more luminous than ever. Kouji barely noticed that his low growl was echoed by the identical rumble of Silver Fang's voice. He was too busy lacing his own with harsh words. "Who the hell are you?"

The older boy looked shocked and upset, taking a step back and pulling his arms in on himself. "Kouji…"

"Shut up!" Kouji snapped. "And quit using my brother's voice, you bastard! I know you're not him!"

For a moment, it looked as though 'Kouichi' would burst into hurt tears right there, but then his whimpering expression warped into a Grinch-like grin, and he laughed in a much deeper voice than before.

"Ooh, smart one, are you?" Laughed the fake boy. "I wonder, though, how did you know? It was a rather striking performance if I do say so myself."

Kouji gritted his teeth. "Nii-san never mentions that we look alike. We just _do_, it doesn't mean anything, so we don't mention it. It's one of our rules."

"Rules, eh?" The voice laughed, and Kouichi's face began to slip away into the shadows. "I'll have to remember that next time."

The image, that is, the illusion of Kouichi's face and form, rippled and faded away into the shadows like the reflection in a poll of ink, melting off to reveal a tall, smirking teen with long dark hair with a violet skunk-stripe down the center.

Kouji jerked back with a hiss. "You!"

"That's right. Me." Xantha grinned brightly and gave himself a hearth (? O.o) thumb in the chest. "Didn't even guess, did'ja? I had you right up to that last little slip. It was _such_ a good show, too."

Kouji's teeth gritted again. "Shut up, you bastard."

"Auw, you didn't like my little show?" Xantha's voice slid into another raucous laugh. "And here I though you were so eager to see your precious brother again-"

"I said shut _up_!"

Xantha's machete and club were raised just in time to catch the Licht Sager in their junction. Kouji, both hands wrapped firmly around the blade as he tried to force it down onto the beast before him, was trembling with the force of his own fury.

"How… _dare_… you?" He snarled animalisticly. "How dare you twist my brother's face into one of your disgusting expressions?"

"Oh, is _that_ what you're mad about?" Xantha's smirk widened to show gleaming white teeth. "See, I knew it was a convincing show."

Kouji then did something very un-sportsman-like and fueled by anger that involved his right foot and Xantha doubled over in pain, gripping his stomach.

With a light surge of power from its master's anger, the Lich Sager's gleaming light-blade was pressed firmly under Xantha's chin. Kouji's eyes, now dark and clouded, glared down at the weakened teen like a slighted demon. "I'll kill you, you piece of trash. You're dying for that 'act'."

"Good." Xantha's grin returned evilly, looking up at him. "'Cause see, that's the name of our little 'Shadow Game'. The first one to die is the looser."

Kouji's glare intensified as he pulled the sword back to strike. "Game over."

"Not yet."

As Kouji thrust his weapon forward, Xantha suddenly moved, and a burst of long vines shot out of the ground to block the Sager in mid-strike, while the teen's club came around to catch Kouji under the chin. The boy stumbled back from the blow, crying out in pain and surprise, yanking his weapon free from the now-withering vines.

Xantha laughed again as he straightened. "Auw, ain't that sweet? You've got yourself a little bodyguard!"

Kouji, without thinking about it, looked down. Silver Fang was standing firmly between the two combatants, snarling and growling as fiercely as his card had shown.

"You gonna tag-team me?" Xantha taunted. "You and your little puppy-fwiend? Auw, how cute…"

Silver Fang growled and moved forward as though to attack, but Kouji reached down and grabbed him by the fur where his 'collar' would have been. "_No_."

The Duel Monster whimpered a bit and looked up at his 'Duelist' pleadingly. But Kouji's glare remained firm.

"I don't want your help." He snapped, his voice growing steadily harsher with each word. "I _said_ I didn't want your help, your pity, your loyalty. I don't want you here. This is my fight. Stay out of it."

Silver Fang whimpered again, his blue eyes misting over with silvery tears. Kouji was startled for a split second - he could almost see Kouichi's hurt expression in those sea-green eyes - but that vanished quickly enough and Silver Fang slunk away with his tail between his legs.

Xantha clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "No wonder you can never keep your friends around."

"Shut up." Kouji muttered for the third time, turning to face his opponent again with a dour expression. "Let's start this 'game'."

"All righty, then." Xantha's evil grin slid back into place as his two weapons were drawn again. He twirled them in his hands and, for the first time, Kouji noticed two vines that were wrapped around his wrists. "Just remember the one rule: Loser dies."

And then they lunged.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Yami braced himself, but the effort was futile against the force of Anubis's spell card. The King of Games was thrown backwards, off his feet, and hit the ground several meters away. Kuriboh tumbled haphazardly through the air along with him.

"_He's strong."_ Yugi gasped, and Kuriboh cooed weakly in agreement.

Yami wiped his bloody lip. "Yes… He is a difficult opponent."

"_But how do we beat him?"_

Yami shook his head a bit, as if trying to calm his own confusion as well as his other's, and scowled at the gloating mass that was Anubis. The Shadow Game that the sorcerer had concocted was, in its most basic sense, a modified form of Duel Monsters. Instead of Life Points or even turns, there was only one goal - to protect their 'Heart Key'. For Yami and Yugi, the Key was the Millennium Puzzle, while Anubis's was the Pyramid of Light itself. This was more than appropriate, given the life-or-death stakes they were wagering. The Puzzle was directly tied to their joint souls, and the Pyramid of Light was the only thing sustaining Anubis's spirit. Loosing either would mean utter oblivion for the user.

According to the rules, both sides could provide any support for their Heart Key that they wished. Though for Yami's side that meant the entire construction of their well-balanced deck, it was proving to be little match for Anubis's magic spells and hoards of Heartless, which had managed to burs through their first and, currently, only attempt at a line of defense.

And Anubis was _laughing, _for Ra's sake. Yami usually felt very confident, though slightly annoyed, when his opponents began to laugh, as it almost always lead straight to their defeat. But despite the many times this had worked on Rare-Card Hunters, Pegasus J. Crawford and even Seto Kaiba himself, it was a simple fact that this time the dirty cheater really _did_ have the Pharaoh's head on a platter - and that made the laughter even more annoying.

"Havin' trouble, are yeh, Pharaoh?" Anubis's voice rang through the darkness, laced with the sound of his own venomous chuckles. "Seems you've forgot how things went down in the old days, when Egypt wuz alive. Ah'd say yeh've gotten too 'civilized' fer yer own good!"

Yami growled again as the Heartless cheered his opponent openly. "Lousy cheating bastard…"

Yugi, hovering spiritually over his partner's shoulder, knew that the odds were stacked against them. But they'd been in situations like this before, hadn't they? And they'd always gotten out, hadn't they? There had to be a way out!

Wasn't there?

"Yugi, calm down." Yami said, and Yugi, forgetting the spirit could sense his thoughts, flushed a bit. "We haven't been defeated yet. Do not forget our two trump cards."

Confused, Yugi thought for a while, but it didn't click until Kuriboh let out an encouraging shriek. "_Sora and Kouji!"_

"Yes." Yami nodded seriously, shifting through the deck for his next move. "If those two can make it through their ordeals and get here, their power will be enough to back us up. With their Hearts empowering Silver Fang and Key Mace, we should be able to break through his defenses."

Kuriboh purred in agreement, but Yugi still looked apprehensive. "_Can we hold out until they make it?"_

"We'll have to." Yami muttered, and played another card.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Despite his general lack of basic common sense and/or self-control, Sora was not, in fact, an idiot. By now he knew most definitely that the figure in front of him was _not_ his best friend Riku, but this fact helped him very little when you coupled it with the realization that, fake or not, he _fought_ exactly like the real Riku and no one, not even Sora, had ever been able to beat the _real_ Riku.

As such, the Keyblade Master was blocking the blows of this imposter as best he could, hobbling slightly because the other's sword had come in contact with the sole of his foot, and dragging his useless left arm with him. Key Mace, hurriedly nicknamed 'Macey' in the fury of battle, was doing her very best to assist in the cause as she flew rings around the two combatants, flinging fairy dust and attempting to bash the false Riku with her Key. 'Attempt' because, every time she landed a blow, the illusion at said point faded to reveal the nothing it truly was and escaped unscathed. Only Sora's wooden sword could 'wound' the creation of the Darkness, and so far, he had only managed to take out his opponent's left wrist, leaving his hand numb but the arm still operational.

"Auw, man…" Sora gasped, backing off a bit in a desperate attempt to catch his breath, "This isn't working, Macey. We gotta think of something new."

Macey's ringing bells tinted in agreement, and she flew a loop-the-loop before taking off in the opposite direction and at full tiny-fairy speed.

Sora nearly fell over. "I didn't mean run away!"

"I'd listen to your little pixie friend if I were you, Sora."

A sharp stab of pain shot through Sora's back, radiating from his right shoulder. He let out a cry as the arm jerked harshly, then fell limply as the other had. The wooden sword clattered to the floor.

Now gasping in pain, Sora turned slightly to stare wide-eyed into the face of an illusion pretending to be his best friend.

"Game over." Laughed the fake-Riku, sliding back into the familiar stance, aiming for Sora's heart.

With no other option, the Keyblade Master turned and ran after the vanishing speck that was his fairy-monster friend.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouji felt that he should have been doing better than he was.

Normally, fueled by anger and the frustrated longing for his other half, for his brother, his energy would bolster his abilities to twice what they normally would be, but, somehow, this didn't seem to work on Xantha. The teen was taller than he was, and faster, with longer limbs and a more stretching reach, all of which gave him a definite advantage.

And the fact that he _wouldn't stop talking_ wasn't that helpful, either.

"He's kinda cute, your brother, isn't he?" Xantha would chuckle under his breath as they circled each other patiently. "Not like you, right? I bet you could _never_ pull of those sweet, innocent puppy-dog eyes. And who'd have thought that _he_ would be the Warrior of Darkness? You sure your hearts didn't get switched or somethin'?"

Kouji grit his teeth and struck, only to be parried. "How the hell do you know all that?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out." Xantha taunted, sidestepping his next attempt. "But he _is_ having quite a time in the Darkness, you know. Getting into a heap of trouble, but that's only to be expected."

"You've been following him!" Kouji accused, leaping back again. "How?"

"No why? Just 'how'? I guess it happens too often for you to wonder." Xantha laughed and tossed his club into the air so he could catch it again. "I have my talents. You're such a worry-wart, Ponytail. It's not like that brother of yours is helpless or nothing."

Kouji ground his teeth together. "And I'm supposed to believe you?"

"Hey, believe me or not, it's your choice." Xantha shrugged, moving casually into a lazy ellipse to counter the swordsman's well-paced footwork. Every time he stepped, a few tiny bursts of dark green plants shot to life, then faded away again. "I've seen him, you know, and I'd say he's in pretty good hands, with your Keyblader buddy's friend. You know, that Riku fella. He's pretty capable."

"_More capable than me?"_ Kouji winced at the sharp tone of his mind and recovered quickly, insisting that he would not be jealous of someone he'd never met, no matter how good they seemed to be at doing _his_ job…

"I mean, after all, Riku did _such_ a good job taking care of Destiny Islands…" Xantha continued in his off-hand manner. "You know, the home he plunged into the darkness to get the power to travel worlds… and of course, he was absolutely splendid at protecting that Princess of Hearts girl, right up until he turned her right over to Maleficent so they could open the Door to Darkness and drown all worlds in shadow…"

He paused a moment to smirk at the pale, drained expression on Kouji's face, his blue eyes wide in what could only be called horror. "What? Your buddy Sora not bother to divulge those little details?"

"Sh… Shut up!" Kouji snapped, hiking the Sager into his most fierce attack yet. "I'm not going to listen to you!"

He lifted the weapon over his head, ready to bring it down on the beast's neck, get rid of him and his lies once and for all…

"But Kouji, I thought you always listened to me."

In the moment that Kouichi's voice flashed past his ears, accompanied by the pleading expression of his big blue eyes, Kouji hesitated. In that second, Xantha, having slipped back into his illusion of the elder twin, brought both of his weapons straight up to strike the boy's solar plexus pressure point with all the force a body could muster.

Kouji's face contorted in pain, and with a stuttering gasp, the Licht Sager fell from his hand and clattered to the ground, instantly deactivating. It was soon followed by its master, curling up on himself, unable to breathe, unable to move, completely vulnerable from the shock.

Xantha laughed, standing victoriously over him with both weapons resting at his side. "I knew it. No matter how tough you act, no matter how unfeeling you _try_ to be, you'll always be the same loser with a soft spot for that weakling brother of yours."

Kouji straightened his neck to glare, but all it earned him was the blade of the machete pressed against the exposed flesh of his throat.

"Game over, kiddo." Xantha smirked, his wrist tensing for a swift strike. "I win."

Kouji cursed in his mind and closed his eyes to wait for the inevitable result of defeat, his heart calling for his friends and his brother once more before the air was parted by the slash of a sharp blade…

And the next sound to fill his ears was that of growling, followed by a chomping noise and Xantha's scream.

Kouji's eyes snapped open. Silver Fang, appearing so suddenly that neither fighter could even fathom where he had come from, was now clamped firmly onto Xantha's arm with his sharp fangs and powerful jaw. With an unnatural sort of strength, the huge wolf was dragging the attacker away from his almost-victim, leaving deep scrape marks in the ground as he did.

"Mangy mutt!" Xantha shouted, lifting his club with his free arm. "Let _go_!"

Sliver Fang leapt away at the last second, leaving a gaping wound in the sturdy arm, his snarl now slightly bloodstained, some of it leaking down into his fur and over his muzzle. He growled low in his throat, his fur standing on end to make his point even more obvious.

Kouji's head was reeling, partly from the physical shock but more from confusion. He wasn't dead - Xantha had been so close to beating him, to killing him, but he hadn't quite done so, because Silver Fang had saved him… he'd come back…

"_He came back."_ Kouji's mind whispered in disbelief as his arm reached for the Sager of its own accord. "_After the way I treated him… he came back…"_

"Damn dog!" Xantha cursed again, this time bringing down the machete. "Lie down and die!"

In an instant, Kouji was on the attack, swiping the Sager under the teen's arms. Xantha saw it moments before it hit and leapt backwards, the attack missing its target. "Why you…"

"He's _not_ a dog."

Xantha's eyebrows shot up. "Say what?"

"Silver Fang is _not_ a dog." Kouji spelled out slowly, placing his hand on the monster's shoulder. "Any moron could see that he's a wolf. Get your insults right, bastard."

Xantha's answer to this was to spit a bit to the side and sniff lightly. "Well, if you're going to be so anal about it, I'll just take you both out and save the trouble."

Boy and wolf tensed as he flipped the machete and club set into his hands again, but neither expected him to strike at them from this distance. What's more, neither expected to be _hit_ from this distance, bowled over by a blade of wind and leaves that tore Kouji's coat and let a deep gash in Silver Fang's leg as it knocked them both back several feet.

"What the hell?" Kouji exclaimed once he got his footing back.

"Surprised?" Xantha laughed, juggling his two weapons like some cocky street performer. "What, after that stupid Island you thought you'd seen everything up my sleeve? Please! A magician like me always has a new trick! You haven't even seen half my powers!"

As though to illustrate this, he struck air and leaves at them again. The two targets leapt in either direction to avoid the jet stream and the razor-sharp leaves, barely dodging a cutting blow.

"Run all you want!" Laughed the teen, turning to follow up with more strikes against Kouji's heels. "You're not slipping away this time!"

Kouji kept running, with little other choice, as the blows were so close that his heels were feeling wind-burned. His sharp eyes searched for a new move, a way to break through, but found nothing.

A few feet away, Silver Fang planted his front paws and swirled around to face Xantha's turned back. With the determined expression of one who knows exactly what he must do, the wolf threw his head back and howled.

The noise echoed through the shadows with mind-racking reverberation, crashing almost painfully from one ear to the next. It was agonizing enough to Xantha, as his attacks were cut off so suddenly that Kouji was thrown off-balance by a misfired aftershock and tumbled to the ground. The older, taller teen was yelling, screaming, covering his ears with his hands futilely.

"Damn you, dog!" He roared, wheeling around to the creature. With a painful yank, he ripped his hand away from his ear just long enough to grab his machete once more and throw it with deadly accuracy. "Shut the hell up!"

Kouji looked up just in time to see the long, wicked blade fly forth on a blast of flora-scented wind, cut through the air in a straight path that should have been… and was… easy enough to dodge, but the wolf-target was not moving. The long note of the howl was still holding out, and its source, its creator, seemed to notice nothing else.

Kouji staggered to his feet. He couldn't make it in time, couldn't have done it even if he wasn't half-paralyzed by the sound. He couldn't stop the blade…

"No… No!"

Silver Fang never moved and never paused in his howl, not for a second, right up to the very moment that the machete buried itself up to its handle in his neck. With a sickening crunch, the body slumped to the ground.

"No!" Kouji shouted in horror, his eyes widening sharply. He shot to his feet, stumbling forward, his ears ringing. "No… No, Silver Fang, no…"

"Ha!" Laughed Xantha, pulling his hands away from his ears with a confident, snarling smirk. "Got'cha! Take that, you stupid… mutt?"

The sentence ended in a question only because the teen realized, as Kouji had now, that the howl had not been stopped with the defeat of Silver Fang. The deep, beautiful sound of the majestic tone was still echoing throughout the darkness of this non-world, and each reverberation grew steadily louder and louder in defiance of natural law.

Xantha's eyes widened sharply and his head snapped around, searching wildly for the source of the steadily growing sound. "What the hell?"

"Silver Fang!" Kouji gasped, dropping beside the green-silver form. The wolf's blue-green eyes looked up at him heavily, and the monster whimpered pitifully. Kouji reached down gently and wrapped his arms around the creature's body, moving one hand to slowly, carefully draw the knife out of the wound. "Just… Just hold on. Just hold on…"

His thoughts were focused completely on the fallen beast before him, and, as such, he did not see, as Xantha did, that the shadows around them were beginning to tremble and crack with the force of the sound, great forks of light lancing from the fissures.

"What the hell?" Xantha exclaimed again, stumbling backwards as a portal into the Corridors of Darkness opened just behind him. "What the bloody hell?"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Sora slid to a stop, his eyes flying up to gaze, slack-jawed at the cracking beams of light that shot through the dome of darkness. "What the…"

Key Mace let out a squeaking, high-pitched chime, back-flipping over his head, and shot upwards. Golden pixie dust streamed behind her as she flew, straight up, pulling back her tiny Key for a devastating attack.

"Macey!" Sora shouted after her.

"Gotcha!" Snarled the fake Riku, and Sora realized that the silver-haired illusion had snuck up on him. He spun around, his arms flapping uselessly, mouth half-open to shout in protest…

And then Macey hit her target, the great cracking darkness above them, and the whole of false reality exploded around them.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"What in the name of…"

Anubis snapped his head around as the darkness began to tremble and shake like a massive earthquake had come to life just below them. The Heartless hoards, panicked and fearful, were careening into each other with frightful shrieks and screeches.

Kuriboh squealed and tumbled through the air to right itself at Yami's side once more. Yugi, though his spectral for itself was unaffected directly by the massive vibrations, turned his eyes to the darkness somewhat hesitantly. "What's happening?"

"I'm not sure." Yami braced his legs and placed his hands over the Puzzle, his gaming mind still intent on protecting the goal. "But brace yourselves!"

The arena jolted with a sickening crack, the echoing howls of a noble wolf broke through the darkness and shattered its way into existence.

With a jolt, Sora fell backwards, landing hard on his back with an ungraceful, "oof!" His arms flailed in front of him, Key Mace dancing and chiming happily. A few feet away, Kouji was crouched low to the ground, his arms covering Silver Fang's slumped form protectively. He looked up slowly, only his head moving, and one could almost say that his eyes held the very edges of tears, in a dangerous sort of way.

"What was that?"

Sora sat up, reaching up as though he wanted to rub his head, but instead shot to his feet the moment he got sight of the Heartless. "Holy…"

"Sora!" Yami called, Kuriboh and Key Mace meeting each other in mid-air, chattering excitedly. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine…" Sora gritted his teeth. "But what…? Kouji?"

The dark-haired teen had straightened, somewhat unsteadily, and staggered over to them, dragging the unmoving Silver Fang with him and looking completely and totally exhausted. "Where is he?"

"Who?" Yami asked, pulling back. Even he felt unnerved by the look in Kouji's eyes.

"Xantha." Snarled the swordsman.

"He's _here_?" Sora's eyes flared angrily.

"He was."

"_Yami!"_ Yugi called in warning, and the King of Games shot his head up just in time to watch as his best - and once again, only - defensive monster, the Giant Soldier of Stone, was finally overtaken by Heartless and vanished once more.

In the heart of the mob, riding the crest of a dark wave of Shadows, came Anubis. The Pyramid of Light glowed with a kind of terrifyingly evil-feeling light, unlike anything Sora or Kouji had ever seen, an icy illumination that repulsed them but drew in the Heartless like some kind of delicious sweet treat.

"What'sa matter, kids?" Chuckled the feral wizard maliciously. "Didn't yeh like yer games? Ah thought they looked like a ton a' fun!"

Sora grit his teeth, gripping the Keyblade angrily as he thought of the fake Riku. "You…"

"Pharaoh!" Announced Anubis grandly, completely ignoring the Keyblade Master's words. "Yeh seem tuh have forgotten 'at our game ain't over yet! Though it's gonna be pretty quick, considerin' yeh can't keep a monster on the field fer more than a couple'a seconds!"

Kuriboh screeched in protest, and Key Mace's chimes rang alongside it angrily. Silver Fang whimpered weakly and slowly raised his head, but, as this only caused his open wound to bleed even more, he slumped to the ground and did not move again.

Yami growled. "We haven't lost yet."

"Yeah." Sora grit his teeth and tensed his muscles, ready for attack. "We're not dead yet! So how do we win?"

"The Pyramid of Light!" Yami explained in a low tone. "If we can get and break that Item, we win. But I can't risk going myself - the Puzzle is _his_ goal, we would loose instantly."

Sora contemplated this only a moment before his body curled in on itself. "Okay then… I'll…"

"_I'll_ go."

The Keyblade Master snapped his head around. Kouji, having set the gravely-injured Silver Fang down where he felt the creature would be relatively safe (despite the wolf's weakened, protesting whines) was now advancing steadily, glaring at the wizard who hovered in the hoards of Heartless not so far away.

"Kouji…" Sora whispered slowly, his eyes widening. "Are you…"

"I'll go." Kouji said again, gripping the Licht Sager as his eyes blazed feircely. "I want to get my hands on that _bastard_ myself."

Yami's cool poker face slipped away for just a moment, unfolding in to a concerned frown. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Kouji pulled the Sager up into a tight stance, his legs coiling to spring forward, every motion of his body betraying the intensity of his muscle control. "Cover me."

"All right." Yami's cool returned and his violet eyes turned back to the battle itself. "Wait for an opening."

"Of course."

Kouji clenched his teeth in determination, carefully watching the movements of the Heartless. Sora was not so confident. "Kouji…"

"There!" Yami announced, and Kouji shot off.

He raced towards the mob of Heartless with his weapon bared and ready, even though the three 'Duelists' all knew good and well that such normal tactics could not and would not work against the mutated mob of shadow.

"Now what's all this, then?" Anubis chuckled, watching as his legion of shadows converged on the otherwise helpless boy. "Playin' kamikaze now? Well, 'at's just fine with meh!"

"Kuriboh!" Yami shouted in a commanding tone, and the brown furball flew out. He careened over Kouji's head and straight into the epicenter of the Heartless wave. The pure force of his flight, powered by the strength of his Duelist with every inch, pushed the Shadows back as a massive group, leaving more than enough room for Kouji to bank left and dodge their various projectile attacks.

Anubis reared back angrily. "Tricky, tricky. But yeh ain't winnin'!"

A new band of Heartless rose from the depths of the massive swarm, all of them as unique as ever with their true forms revealed by the Shadow Realm's power, but all of them in this bunch colored with vibrant reds and oranges, the color of flames and fire. Realizeing this, Kouji slid to a stop just inches from their blazing mass attack, close enough that the toes of his shoes were blackened.

"Kouji!" Sora exclaimed, jerking forward a step. "Macey!"

Key Mace let out a few merry, ringing tones and shot forward. She soared over the flames, showering pixie dust over the fire to douse it almost instantly, and when she reached the Heartless themselves the Key was more than ready to bash them.

Kouji smirked. "Useful little thing." He muttered, and took off again.

Anubis ground his teeth together with a growl rumbling from his deep in his throat. "Yeh ain't winnin' this." He snarled. "Ah'm makin' damn sure a' that. Ah've been waitin' far too long fer this tuh lose cause of a little rat like you!"

Empowered by the force of their master's rage, the Heartless reared up in one great swarm and descended on their central point, that is to say, exactly where Kouji was. Completely surrounded by a literal ocean of shadows, there was nowhere for the swordsman to run as they came crashing down…

"Now!" Exclaimed Yami, pulling a card from his deck and snapping it into the air. "I'm playing a magic card on Kuriboh! Multiply!"

The card burst to life, and Kuriboh did just that. In seconds, one Kuriboh had becomes hundreds, and, in one massive swarm, they descended on the Heartless. What's more, each time one of the Kuriboh doubles collided with a Heartless, it exploded - monster, shadow and all, filling the air with smoke and fire and blazing hot debris.

Anubis lurched back, away from the head, covering his eyes with his arms to shield from the biting smoke. "What the…"

A shadow appeared in the depths of the smoke, and before Anubis could quite register its shape or its movements, Kouji burst through and went straight for him. The Licht Sager was barred and, with a long slash, the frayed leather strap around the wizard's thick neck snapped. The Pyramid of Light was quickly airborne, and was soon snatched from said state by Kouji's free hand as he darted past. "Got it!"

"What?" Anubis reeled to follow the boy with his eyes, unable to reach him. "No!"

Kouji landed on his feet and twisted around. "Yami! Catch!"

He wound up and hurled the blue-glass pyramid before Anubis could stop him. The King of Games moved to catch the item, but it was knocked away by a rouge Heartless and tossed into the mob.

"Damn!" The Spirit cursed. "We need to destroy that thing!"

The Pyramid of Light bounced from Heartless to Heartless through the wave, tossed through the air with unceremonious but accurate hands.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Anubis roared testily, pushing himself forward, closer to the bobbing blue Item. "Give it to meh! Bring it back to meh, meh Item, meh light!"

"Not if I can help it!" Sora shouted, and hurled the Keyblade at the flying blue pyramid. Anubis's long, thick fingers were stretching out for the shining Item, and were only centimeters away from it when the spiraling, spinning gold-and-silver key collided with it head-on.

The Pyramid and the Keyblade met each other's force exactly, and they held it for a long, long while. Then the pyramid cracked and shattered.

Anubis roared. Key Mace rang. Sora cheered. Kuriboh shrieked. And the light, the cold, unnatural, haunting light bound and contained within the broken Pyramid was released, and it exploded and expanded and covered everything in a blazing, icy burn.…

And when it cleared, Anubis, the Heartless, and the very last remnants of their shadowy game were gone.

Absolutely gone.

…

"Silver Fang!"

Sora knelt down behind the unmoving silver form, Key Mace hovering worriedly near his ear as he pulled a white glove off to touch the darkened, blood-matted fur. "Oh, god…"

Kouji walked towards them slowly, the Licht Sager inactive in his hands. His sullen, somewhat sorrowful expression was dramatically shadowed by the fading, disappearing beam of light slipping away behind him. "How is he?"

"How is he?" Sora exclaimed. "He's got a huge HOLE in his neck! How do you _think_ he's doing?"

"Sora." Yami whispered softly, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. The Keyblade Master looked up at him, then at Kouji, and finally realized that the swordsman's navy blue eyes were leaking a few small, dripping tears.

Kouji rubbed his dry lips together uncomfortable, tearing his eyes from his monster companion to look at Yami. "Can't you… can't you do something?"

"I'm sorry." Yami shook his head sadly. "I don't have that kind of power… At this rate, he won't make it, even after they return to the Shadow Realm."

Sora drew in a sharp breath. "No…"

Beside him, Key Mace chimed, but her voice was faint. As the gigantic Pyramid of Light disappeared, so did the magic holding the monsters with them. Kuriboh, Key Mace and Silver Fang were slowly fading away, returning to their home… one of them, not for very long.

Kouji knelt down next to Silver Fang. 'Knelt' is an inaccurate term, as he fell to his knees beside the fallen wolf and reached out to stroke the silver-green fur with both hands. One last tear fought its way free and leaked down his cheek as he leaned forward to whisper two words: "I'm sorry."

Silver Fang looked up at him, and one could almost say that he was smiling. He stretched forward and butted against the hilt of the Licht Sager.

The great shining beams folded up into their points in the ground, and the entirety of Domino was filled with a great flash of light. When it cleared, Key Mace and Kuriboh were gone.

But Silver Fang was not.

The Sager had changed. The chrome hilt was now a pale silver, laced with a soft green that shimmered as the light moved across it. The beam of the blade, as Kouji activated it with a twitched of the emerald-green switch, now glowed golden-green, and when it moved through swipes and strikes, the electric buzz was replaced by the soft howl of a wolf.

"What the…" Sora gaped.

Yugi smiled, and this time it really was Yugi - the presence had changed, the young boy had returned to control. "It must be Silver Fang." He whispered. "He wanted to go with you."

Kouji held the item in his hands, staring at it rather dumbly. He ran his fingers over the swirling green contemplatively, and sighed.

"Silver Fang…"

_The Licht Sager has been upgraded. Kouji received the Slverner Reibzah!_

_**TBC…**_

Wow, longest chapter yet! Heh heh…Sorry, Syaoran. Bad page-per-chapter management on my part, gomen, gomen.

The stuff about the Pyramid of Light being a counter for the Millennium Items is not actually stated in the movie. However, it does make a particular point for the story itself, and it makes more sense than it just being an eighth Millennium Item…

Everything Yami is spouting is from Suguroku's information, not his own. The dear Pharaoh doesn't remember a damn thing.

'Pegasus J. Crawford' is, if you can't figure it out, Maxamillion J. Pegasus in the English version. It's funny seeing his name written out in the Japanese manga, since he's supposed to be American. And, yea, classic Kuriboh strategy!

Slverner Reibzah - roughly, German for 'Silver Fang'. That last line is basically what would flash on-screen after that scene if this were actually a video game. I'm going to keep referring to the blade as the Licht Sager ('Light Saber') for simplicity's and spellcheck's sake.

Next World Up: The Sengoku Era of Feudal Japan! And we'll have a friend showing up… you'll get a hint at the ultimate goal… and one more of the eeeevil alliance is up to bat.


	16. Chapter 15: Feudal Japan

BTW, I've got a new bit - **BOLD** Flashback. Okie-dokie?

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Inu-Yasha is copywrite to VIZ and Rumiko Takahashi-sensei, and, thereforeis not mine either._

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 15: Feudal Era**

Sora lifted the blue-glass shard up to the light that filled the ship, gripping it carefully between his gloved fingers as the blue light reflecting through it danced over his face. It was a piece of the Pyramid of Light - one of only three that they had been able to find.

Yugi had kept the largest of the pieces, still connected to the gold-and-ruby eye that had made up its center, now resting safe in the same box in which he kept his most important cards. Kouji had the remaining one, but he wasn't looking at it. He was curled in his chair like a small child, his knees pulled up close, staring sadly at the blank card that had once borne Silver Fang's image.

Sora sighed, sinking back into his captain's seat and closing his eyes. Leaving Domino had taken more out of him than he had really been ready for…

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

**Sora stared at Kouji rather helplessly. He'd never seen the other boy act like this before - shattered, broken, mourning the loss of his friend with every inch of his body. He practically radiated guilt. **

**"Kouji…"**

**The younger boy looked up, but only for a second before a great, chime-like tone rang through the area, startling them all.**

**"What the heck was that?" Sora gasped, jumping up.**

**"I think it's the end of the Shadow Magic." Yugi glanced around, his purple orbs widening slowly in realization as he listened to Yami's words. "Cover your eyes, quick!"**

**Kouji and Sora clamped their hands over their eyes seconds before a massive explosion of light nearly blasted out their coronas. The shocking blaze glowed through both hands and eyelids for a few split seconds, then dissipated.**

**When Sora opened his eyes again, he had to rub them in surprise. Domino city was, as was only to be expected, back to normal, the half-light vanishing where it came from as the city slowly began to come back to life. That was hoped for and only to be expected**. **What Sora was staring at had nothing to do with that.**

**There, in the wall of the Domino City Museum, was half a Keyhole…the other half of the one behind the Turtle Game Shop.**

**Yugi, who didn't know anything about the Keyholes or what was happening, blinked in confusion. "What's that?"**

**"It's the Keyhole." Sora breathed, his eyes brightening a bit. "Or, well… half of it, anyway."**

**"Keyhole?"**

**"To the Heart of the World." Sora explained, lifting his weapon to illustrate. "It's what the Heartless are looking for, and us. If they get through it, this world will vanish, but the Keyblade can seal it**…"

**"Fat load of good it does us." Kouji muttered sourly, his voice dark and expressionless. "Nothing's worked on half a Keyhole."**

**Sora sighed. "Well then…we'll just have to find a way to put them back together!"**

**"And how do we do that?"**

**"Oh!" Yugi's voice rose in a sharp gasp. "Look!"**

**Sora turned his head just a bit at the call, then jumped backwards so far he nearly landed on Kouji. There was something moving on the ground not too far away, rocking back and forth just slightly before it rose slowly into the air, revealing itself to be…**

**"The Pyramid of Light." Sora breathed. And it was.**

**Well, part of it, at least.**

**The red and gold eye that had adorned the front of the blue pyramid was slowly rising into the air, its ruby iris glowing with a light of its own. It was not the cold, haunting illumination that had been pouring out before, but rather, a bright beam similar to what the Keyblade gave out. It sparkled in an almost diabolical way, making the eyes look as though it was winking.**

**Sora took a step back, gripping the Keyblade tightly. "What's going on?"**

**"I think it's… it's responding to something." Yugi breathed, his eyes tracking to Sora. "Maybe… to you?"**

**Kouji's body tensed. "To _that._"**

**Sora turned his head to glance at his friend, but a violent jerk on his right arm yanked his attention away. The Keyblade leapt forward, thrusting its tip towards the shattered remains of the blue-glass Item. A bright, laser-like beam of light, that which normally locked the Keyhole, shot from the end of the weapon and collided with the ruby orb.**

**There was a ringing shatter that echoed through the reawakened city. The beam split at the instant it hit the ruby eye, shooting out two identical rays in opposite directions. The gleaming light shot straight out without break or pause, the first arching out through the city, the second rocketing into the depths of the half standing before them.**

**The Sound of a lock clicking closed echoed throughout Domino, and the remains of the Pyramid of Light fell harmlessly to the ground.**

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Sora turned the piece of glass over in his hands. He still didn't understand how the Item had… what had Yugi called it? 'Refracted'… the light of the Keyblade to lock the two halves at the same time. He didn't understand what exactly had happened to Anubis, nor what it had to do with the pile of ash now blowing in the Domino City wind, though he had a reasonably good idea that he really did not what to think about. And more than anything, he didn't understand the explanation that Yami (through Yugi, who remained in control during their return to the Game Shop to check on their friends) had given them about the difference between the Millennium Items and the Pyramid of Light.

"_The Items are tools of darkness forged through arcane magicks that were never meant to see the light of day. They are shadows incarnate into a physical form. In the wrong hands, they can be the source of much pain and suffering, but they were created for, and are, innately good. They are meant to be used for the good of the world. They are a pure Darkness._

_"However, in order to safely use this Darkness, the Items needed to be properly balanced, which is why the Pyramid of Light was created. It was forged from light, but not the Light that we know. To counter the just darkness of the Millennium Items, the Pyramid had to be infused with the other side of Light. It's negative side."_

'Negative' light. 'Pure' darkness. The ideas made Sora's head spin. Throughout everything, there had always been one solid rule that he could rely on: He, the Light, was good, and his enemies, the Darkness and the Heartless, were bad. It was plain and simple, good versus evil, white against black. That's all there had ever been to it…

Wasn't it? For some reason, his heart was protesting those thoughts and his mind kept shifting to Riku and where he could be now…

"Wake up."

Sora lurched straight up at the voice, nearly knocking skulls with Kouji, who pulled up right before they could connect with a scowl. Donald laughed at the show, at least until Kouji shot him another nasty look and stormed off towards the front monitor.

Sora blinked in sleepy confusion. "What? What's going on?"

"We've reached a new world." Goofy hyuk'ed, leaning back in his chair and pointing to the screens. "See? Looks like a nice place, don'tcha think?"

Sora stood, pocketing the blue shard, and reached out to the cockpit. He squinted at the smaller of the monitors curiously.

The world seemed to be made mostly of fields, villages and uncorrupted landscapes. In the distance, snow-capped mountains stood guard over the little huts that made up a tiny town, while most of its inhabitants worked to harvest the fields on the outskirts.

Sora smiled a bit as he watched a pair of raggedly clothed little children chasing a ball. "Looks nice. Wanna go down?"

"Might as well." Donald quacked, moving to activate the teleportation device.

Kouji reached out and grabbed the duck's wing before the button in question could be pushed. "We can't go down like this."

"And why not?" Donald squawked irritably, yanking his feathers out of the swordsman's grasp.

Wordlessly, Kouji pointed to the monitors. They showed dozens of people, men, women and children, all in tattered robs tied with ropes, in various colors and patterns as well. "We'll never blend in."

Sora crossed his arms and frowned. "Yeah… You're right about that. They'll never buy the traveling bit with us looking like this…"

"Auw, phooey." Donald huffed, waving his wing. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"_AIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!"_

All four snapped their heads back to the monitor, Goofy falling out of his chair from the force of the effort. One of the village women was chasing a strangely dressed and exceptionally large raccoon out of her house with knife.

"Demon!" She shrieked, clutching a small child close to her chest as she swung her makeshift weapon. "Horrible demon! You stay away from my baby you… BEAST!"

The raccoon hopped up on two legs and shook its rear end at the woman, sticking his tongue out at her before disappearing into the woods again. After a moment of silence, Kouji sighed. "That's why."

"Oh." Said Donald, and started back to the rear of the ship with the hope that there was cloth back there that they could use for new outfits.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Beryl's shriek echoed through the halls at such an octave that some of the thinner crystal panes cracked and shattered into dozens of pieces. It preceded the witch as she stormed into the palace's main hall. The grand double doors burst open in the force of her rage. "Where is he?"

"Who?" Myotismon asked, thought it was clear he wasn't interested in the answer, as he lifted his head away from his red-tinged crystal goblet. His purple lips wore a light smirk, revealing his now pinkish fangs.

"That miserable _rat_, Anubis!" Snarled Beryl, her heels snapping to the marble floor hard enough that it nearly shattered beneath her. "Where _is_ he and what has he done with…"

"Anubis is dead."

Beryl snapped her head to Naraku so quickly that the outside observer may have thought she had broken her thin neck. "What?"

"He lost his own game. To the Pharaoh that he hated so very much." Naraku hissed from the folds of the baboon-like disguise. "And to the Keyblade Master and his Flunkies as well. Thus, Anubis is no more and has returned to the Shadows yet again."

"Yeah, got that right." Spoke up the teen who was leaning against the wall with an entirely too self-satisfied expression. "'E lost at a game where he had so much of an advantage, it was silly. Bloody waste of time and space, don'tcha think?"

Beryl and Naraku both glared at the boy in obvious distaste, but said nothing to him. Myotismon chuckled, lifting his goblet back to his lips.

The only woman took a deep breath through her teeth. "So Anubis is dead." She mumbled coldly. "We will have to take action for that."

"Indeed." Naraku shuffled a bit closer to the witch, his expression hidden by his mask but revealed by his voice. "Now, Beryl, what have you discovered of his that has put you into such a fury?"

Beryl turned her nose up at him, her cheeks a light pink. "It… It is nothing of your concern. I will attend to it now."

She turned on her sharp heels and vanished out into the palace once more, the doors slamming behind her with a triumphant _BANG!_

Xantha… since Myotismon and Naraku knew well that he was not, in fact, Ansem… smirked. "She certainly has her panties in a bunch about something."

"Indeed." Muttered Naraku, his voice cold and even.

Myotismon smirked as well, setting his now-empty goblet to the side. "Back to business, then." He breathed coolly, folding his hands. "Xantha, my friend, how is our boy doing? Impressed yet?"

Xantha sighed and blew his bangs up. "Gotta admit, it's an interesting case. Got a good look at his heart the other night - never seen anything like it. Completely saturated in Darkness, every minute he stays in that Realm he absorbs even more, right into the core of his heart." His smirk widened to a Cheshire Cat level. "I'd say he's just about ripe."

"Good." Myotismon smirked as well. "Very good. Just what we're looking for. I can see that he won't be long now… but what of you, Naraku?"

"What of me?" Naraku shrugged his furred shoulders, the rapids of distaste and indignation lacing his sly voice.

Myotismon frowned at him, obviously annoyed with his upstart nature. "Your _mission_, you babbling baboon."

"It is going well enough." Naraku ruffled his cloak in consternation. "The Boy in question is already under my control. It will just take a little persuasion to coax his heart from the depths."

"Good." Myotismon smiled again. "Very good. Let us continue with this success."

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

To avoid panicking the locals, Donald directed the teleportation beam to materialize the group within a small, abandoned shack. After fumbling around each other for a moment, Kouji finally found the door and pushed his way out.

The swordsman blinked a bit in the sudden brightness of the mid-afternoon sun. Once his eyes had adjusted, he stepped out onto the dirt road and frowned down at the outfit he was now wearing.

He had to admit, Donald's magic did a good job on the random scraps of cloth that had been stashed in the back of the ship. The yukata he now wore looked almost exactly like the one he had planned to wear to the Tanabata celebrations in Shibuya, a dark navy blue like a cloudy night sky, lined with black and tied with a simple black rope. It fell to his knees, giving more than enough room for him to move even though his normal tennis shoes had been replaced by wooden sandals. With his hair tied back into its normal neat, sharp ponytail, the only things that made him seem even the least bit out of place were the Licht Sager, firmly in place at his waist, and his trademark bandana (which he absolutely refused to give up) tied tight around its silver-green hilt.

The next member to stumble out of the shack was the mage himself, squawking and complaining as he always did, waving his staff in annoyance. The sky-blue yukata he had crafted for himself looked very interesting on his distinctly bird-ish body, exceptionally short, but somehow on him it looked almost normal as it spread out across his back. His lining and tie were both white and he was, as usual, wearing no shoes.

Following him was Goofy, dressed in forest green with a dark yellow lining. He looked just plain ridiculous, in Kouji's opinion, though his shield was the only weapon of the group that didn't look utterly out of place. He was hyuck'ing to himself as he stepped from the shack and looked around. "Gawrsh, it sure is a nice day today."

"Yeah, I guess." Sora muttered as he stepped out, brushing himself off as he did. "But are these outfits really necessary, Kouji?"

The black-haired boy glanced at him. Sora's outfit was closer to the Ainu style than a traditional yukata, sleeves and a bit longer than the others, revealing his thin arms but covering most of his legs. The color was a bright red with a darker auburn lining, the sash around his waist thicker than the other ties. His normal yellow shoes had been replaced with sandals, which made his feet look half their normal size. Kouji could almost expect him to fall over when he tried to walk and the swordsman smiled at the thought.

"You wanna get chased out as a 'demon'?"

Sora scowled a bit. "No…"

"Then deal with it." Kouji tossed his hair back over his shoulder and rested his hand on the handle of the Licht Sager.

"Besides, this isn't so bad." Donald squawked, lifting his wings to show off the robe. "With these, we'll fit right in, no problem!"

Sora and Kouji glanced at their companions, then at each other. Kouji shrugged. "It'll be better than if we didn't do it."

"I guess so." Sora sighed, running a hand through his hair, which was as crazy as ever. "Come on. We better get moving."

He set off, leading the way into the village. Goofy hyuk'ed brightly as he hobbled after him, Donald at his side with a confident expression. Kouji brought up the rear. Every time Sora glanced back at him, he was surprised at how well the other boy blended into this world - he moved in a tense, anxious manner, his muscles ready for attack, his hand folded over the hilt of the Sager. Even Sora, with his relatively little knowledge about the cultures and histories of other Worlds, could recognize the air his companion gave off. He looked, and felt, 100 percent like an honest-to-goodness samurai.

Sora pushed that thought out of his mind and turned to face forward again. "You think we're gonna draw a crowd?"

"Of course not." Donald quacked. "We blend right in."

"Gawrsh, I hope so." Muttered Goofy. "We don't wanna to nothin' to wreck the World Border."

"Order!" Donald shook his head in disgust. "World _Order_!"

Sora laughed at the old argument, and that drew the eyes of one of the peasants in their direction. The man in question raised curious eyebrows and straightened from his place in the fields to call up to the higher road. "Oi there! Lad!"

"Huh?" Sora stopped and looked around a moment, then focused on the man and pointed to himself. "You mean me?"

"Aye." The man leaned on his hoe, squinting up at them. "Yeh be travelers, I'd take it?"

Sora blinked. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Yeh can't be nuthin' else, what with those strange things at yer side." The man nodded at Goofy and Donald. "They be enchanted or the like?"

"Things?" Donald shrieked.

Goofy blinked. "Gawrsh, 'enchanted'?"

"Uh… yeah!" Sora grinned awkwardly, clamping a hand down over Donald's beak. "Let's go with that. Enchanted."

Kouji snorted a bit at the others' reactions, and the man's eyes turned to him. "And what be yer reason for travelin' our way, lads?"

"Trading venture." Kouji muttered, carefully concealing the silver-green Sager. He nodded to Sora. "His father sent us. Brought the creatures along to see if anyone would pay money for 'em. We're still two days from our destinations."

"Are yeh, now?" The man raised an eyebrow curiously. "Yeh better stop 'ere for the night, then. We're a full day's travel from the next stop, and yeh don't wanna be out after dark if yeh can help it, what with the demons and that there ice beast up in the mounts…"

"Demons?" Goofy gulped.

Sora laughed awkwardly again, but this time it was less nervous and more scared. "Actually, that's sounding pretty good… right, Kouji?"

"Whatever." Kouji shrugged, and Donald frowned at him.

Sora turned back to the man. "So, do you know a place where we can stay?"

"Aye. The home of our Head is always open to travelers." The man nodded up the road, where a much larger house rose out of the dust of the road. "In fact, there's already a group o' strangers stayin' up there now. Been here since last night, they have."

Sora crouched down to get closer to the man, now very curious. "They stayed?"

"Aye." The man nodded, starting up his work again. "Decided to remain behind after they heard of the ice demon freezin' up Mount Iruma up in the range."

"Ice demon?" Donald squawked.

"What's it doing up there?" Sora asked, his eyes widening in interest.

"Who knows?" The man shrugged, lifting his tool over his head and brining it down hard. "Besides freezing' everybody an' everything which comes within ten feet o' the cave it's livin' in, it don't seem to have much use. But that other bunch took an interest in 'im, they did, an' decided tuh stock up here a'fore headin' up to the mount tuh check 'im out."

"Gawrsh." Goofy hyuk'ed a bit as Sora thanked the man and their group started back down the road. "Those guys up at the mansion sounded real tough, don't they?"

"Sure do." Donald quacked.

Sora leaned back on his hands with a grin. "I want to meet them."

Kouji scowled. "We don't have time for that."

Sora whirled around to face the other boy, glaring. "I think we should go talk to them. Maybe we can help out with this demon!"

"To what ends?" Kouji spat back, his face never changing. "There's no reason for us to interfere."

"It could be a Heartless!"

"It could just be one of the locals."

"You don't _know_ that!"

"Neither do you."

"_EEEEEK!"_ Screamed a voice from up the street. "Demon! It's a demon!"

A black shape - moving so quickly that it was almost hard to see - shoved past them and knocked Donald over in the process. Sora and Kouji both twisted to follow it, but they hardly had time to whip out their respective weapons before it disappeared into the scraggily forest.

Sora took a deep breath through his nose before he spoke again. "_That_ was a Heartless."

Kouji scowled.

"Hey! Get out of my way!"

This time, the figure that shoved past knocked down Goofy and Sora, missing Kouji only because the swordsman's instincts had caused him to leap five inches to the left at the last moment.

This new figure was larger and much slower, not to mention having a basically human form. He appeared to be a teenage boy, one a little taller than Kouji, with thick white hair that stretched down to his knees, barely covering a pair of small white ears that poked from the top of his head. He wore a red kimono and ran on all fours, at least when he was jumping, like he did to barrel through them. His eyes, in the brief glimpse they got of them, were amber gold, his teeth bearing fangs, his hands and bare feet adorned with sharp claws. A sword and scabbard hung at his waist.

Sora drew in a sharp breath the moment he could, watching the strange figure disappear after the Heartless. "What the heck was…?"

"Inu-Yasha!" A decidedly feminine voice shouted, giving the only warning before the group was bawled over again, this time in a cloud of dust. "Whoops! Uh, sorry about that!"

The second figure was a girl in a school uniform riding a bicycle, which would not have been out of place except that they were most certainly _not_ in up-town Tokyo. She had long black hair and dark eyes, not unlike many of the girls in Kouji's class, and wore a forest green and white high school uniform, including black shoes and floppy white socks. There was a bow and a quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder, flapping in the wind from her ride as she leapt off the bike, leaving it on the side of the road, and dove after the white-haired boy.

Donald pushed himself up out of his triple knock-down, spitting dirt out of his beak. "Bleh! That was rude!"

Kouji, the only one who didn't have to climb to get back on his feet, gripped the Licht Sager and followed the two strangers with his eyes. "Let's go."

"Huh?" Sora said blinking, brushing himself off.

Kouji smirked at him. "You want to follow that Heartless, don't you?"

At the idea, Sora's eyes lit up, and he took off in the same path as before, even with Kouji, their last two members trailing sloppily behind them.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Beryl grumbled to herself, glaring sullenly at the empty crystal display cases that had held her collected treasures, her prizes, her rewards. Yet, they now stood open and full of nothing but shame, and the unoccupied hyperbolic chamber in the center gave her an all-too-clear reason as to why.

_Damn_ that boy! There could be no other who would do something like this, none who would be able to release the weapons and steal them away. The weapons had personalities, they had always been stubbornly resistant to her touch and attempted to flee from her whenever they were removed from their enchanted containers, and there was no reason to think that the owner of one tool would not be somewhat respected by the others…

But how had he escaped? How? _How?_

"Curse them all!" She raged again, and stormed off to the library to see if any resource could give her some answer to her blasted problem.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouji was not particularly fond of the woods, though he did have a certain soft spot for the forested cave where he had first discovered his Spirits in the Digital World. In most areas, however, he greatly disliked the crowded feel of the trees, blocking his normally swift steps and forcing him into a cramped, unrefined state of movement.

But when there was a goal, as there was now, and there was competition for said goal, as the auburn-haired boy bounding along to his right and the silver-haired teen ahead of him provided, and the goal in question was running from them all… Kouji's inborn feral instincts came to life, urging him forward faster and faster, pumping testosterone into his muscles for extra power and speed.

In short, he was actually having fun, which he really needed at the moment. The wolf inside of him howled in delight at the thrill of the chase. He could win this hunt, claim this prize, all he had to do was focus…

"Kouji!" Sora gasped, trying to urge his legs to go faster as his companion sped up. He was having an even harder time maneuvering through the crowded mass of trees because of his rather unique mobility. They had already lost Donald and Goofy - hopefully, they'd dropped back to the road, where it would be easy to meet up again - and the other two…

"Ow!"

Sora slid to a stop at the female voice. It was the girl from before, the one who had abandoned her bike to follow the white-haired boy. She was on the ground and rubbing her ankle somewhat painfully.

"Hey." Sora approached her, concerned. "You okay?"

The girl, first a bit surprised , took just a moment to smile at him. "I'm fine. I just twist it a bit, that's all."

"That's good." Sora sighed. "I'm glad you're not too badly hurt."

"I just can't believe I lost him!" The girl scowled in the direction that the other two had disappeared in. "Dammit, Inu-Yasha!"

"Don't worry." Sora grinned a bit and knelt down next to her. "Between your friend and mine, they're bound to catch that thing sooner or later."

She laughed, and Sora grinned wider, especially when she turned to look at him. "What's your name?"

"Sora." He thumbed at himself and nodded confidently. "How about you?"

The girl paused for just a moment, then grinned again. "Kagome," she said, and nodded in a light bow. "Kagome Higurashi

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Goddamn this thing!"

Kouji had to smirk a bit at the white-haired boy's cursing. He was trailing behind the red-robed figure… who hadn't even taken note that he was being tracked, much to the delight of Kouji's inner wolf… but neither was quite closing in on the Heartless 'thing' in question. More than ever, the Hunt was still the first thing on his mind, but the excitement of it was starting to fade with the longing for a good conclusion… and he'd never be able to catch his prey on his own, not like this.

"Hey, you!"

The dog-boy jumped a bit and nearly tripped, reverting to all fours again and turning his head back to glare at Kouji. "What the hell do you want, kid?"

Kouji wasn't fazed and kept up the pace. "You wanna catch that thing, don't you?"

"Of course I do, you moron!" Snarled the older boy. "What the hell do you think I'm doing out here if I'm not gonna catch it?"

"Get ahead of it."

"Say what?"

"I bet you could outrun it if you really wanted to." Kouji smirked a bit and narrowed his eyes meaningfully. "Cut it off from the front and I'll get this side. We'll have 'im for sure."

The golden eyes narrowed at him in confusion just a moment, the half-dog turned away with a scoff. "Feh. Why would I do something stupid like that?"

"Because I can't move that quickly." Kouji reasoned with a shrug. "Whatever you want to do, you better do it quick, or we're going to lose it."

The dog-boy growled in annoyance, but kicked his bare feet and took off through the trees, rising back onto two legs to dash ahead with a burst of almost unnatural speed, bouncing off the trees with ease.

The Heartless, who had paused in order to toy with its pursuers a bit, heard the approaching noise and turned his bug-like black head back just in time to get a face full of dust. The white-haired boy slid to a stop just in front of it, reaching down to snatch at the black blob. "Gotcha!"

The Heartless shrieked and slid to a stop, turning on its heels to dart away in the other direction. But it had not gone far before a beam of light slid into existence with a soft howl.

"Not so fast." Kouji hissed and brought the Licht Sager down on the Shadow.

The Heartless squirmed and shrieked for only a second before the blade of light sliced through its hind legs. To finish it off, the dog-boy's sharp claws came down as well, and the Heartless vanished into darkness.

Kouji, his inner wolf satisfied with the hunt and calmed now, had already put away his blade before he realized that the creature had left something behind.

Lying on the ground was a small, silver-white shard. For a moment, Kouji thought it was another piece of the Pyramid of Light, but he soon realized that it was made of pure white stone that sparkled in the sun. He crouched down and carefully picked it up, lifting it to the light. "What the…?"

"Give me that!" The dog-boy snapped, snatching it from his hand.

Kouji scowled. "What's the big deal?"

"That little punk stole this out of Kagome's bag!" The teen snarled. "It's ours!"

"Fine then." Kouji shrugged and pushed up to his feet in one swift movement. He blew his bangs up and, for the first time, glanced behind him for his companions. "Dammit, I lost him… Typical."

The white-haired boy raised a curious eyebrow, then smirked in understanding. "You got some annoying prat following you around?"

"Annoying is right." Kouji sighed, clipping the Sager at his belt again.

"Why don't you ditch him?"

Kouji glanced at him. "Why don't you ditch the girl?"

The other scowled. "'Cause I can't."

"Same here." Kouji shrugged and started off back the way he came.

After a moment, the dog-boy caught up with him, looking amused. "What's your name, kid?"

"Minamoto Kouji." The young swordsman glanced at the other out of the corner of his eye. "And you?"

The silver-haired boy smirked, revealing his fangs, before offering one simple word: "Inu-Yasha."

_**TBC…**_

The proper spelling of the word is 'magick' with a 'k' incase you're not certain. That's the archaic term used for the true, respectful arts, and thus, that's what I use for the creation of the Millennium Items

**Ainu - **the native people of Japan, who have a distinctly separate tribal culture, similar to how the Native Americans are in America. I'm not exactly sure what descent they are though I do believe that what we consider to be 'Japanese' are descended from the Mongols, as are the Chinese and the Korean… For an example of the Ainu, at least their traditional values and clothes, google Horohoro (a.k.a. 'Corey'… or is it 'Trey'?) from _Shaman King._

_**Jiminy's Journal - **(A.K.A. - GS's notes on people you need to know for Inu-Yasha, if you don't already)_

**Kagome Higarashi - **A normal 15-year-old high school student who happened to live in an ancient shrine, Kagome is the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo and unknowingly carried the Shikon Jewel within her body. This was revealed when she was drawn into the Feudal Era through a magical well, where she also met the half-demon Inu-Yasha.. During her very first visit, she accidentally shattered the Shikon Jewel, and must now help collect the shards. She can see the shards, even within a creature's body, and uses arrows to fight. She also keeps Inu-Yasha under control by way of the spell beads around his neck, and a simple command - "SIT!"

**Inu-Yasha - **A half-demon who was pinned to a sacred oak tree fifty years ago by the priestess Kikyo, whom he loved. They were tricked into fighting each other by the demon Naraku, and now Inu-Yasha travels with Kagome to collect the shards of the Shikon Jewel. He claims that he wants the Jewel whole so that he can use it to become a full demon, but at this point nobody really believes that's what his heart wants anymore. And yes, he swears a lot. That's how he is.

**Shippo - **A young fox-demon orphaned by the Thunder Brothers, two demons who used Shikon Jewel shards. With nowhere else to go, he travels with Inu-Yasha and Kagome. Likes to play pranks and can do a decent amount of fox-magic, mostly illusions and small blasts of fox-fire. He's just a kid, you know.

**Miroku -** A somewhat questionable (and lecherous) monk who has inherited a curse that Naraku placed on his family fifty years ago: his right hand contains a 'Wind Tunnel', a sort of black hole that sucks up everything into nothingness and will eventually consume him. Miroku seeks to destroy Naraku, thus removing his curse, and has the odd habit of asking every woman he sees to bear his child, which gets him slapped a lot, particularly by Sango.

**Sango - **The daughter of the head of a demon-slayer village devoted to eliminating vicious demons and guarding the secret of the Shikon Jewel, Sango is one of only two that survived the massacre of her village and family by Naraku. She is rarely seen without her cat demon companion, Kirara, and her gigantic boomerang _Hiraikotsu_. She is exceptionally strong and very composed, but she does have a kind heart deep down - she now quests to rescue her younger brother Kohaku from Naraku's mind control.

**Naraku - **A vicious demon who seeks all of the Shikon Jewel for his own twisted plans and seems to love messing with people. He is behind the murder of Sango's village, Miroku's Wind Tunnel curse, and the plot that turned Kikyo and Inu-Yasha against one another. He has the ability to absorb other demons into his body and gain their powers and strength. He has created many 'incarnations' of himself, but all bear the same marking - a mirror image of the spider-shaped scar on his back.

**Kohaku – **Sango's gentle and kind younger brother, Kohaku never wanted to become a demon slayer because he didn't want to hurt anyone. On his very first, and only, mission, Naraku took control of the boy, making him attack Sango and murder the rest of the team, including their father, before being shot by a hail of arrows. Naraku then revived Kohaku using a shard of the Shikon Jewel, and completely wiped his memories so that Kohaku is Naraku's mindless slave.


	17. Chapter 16: Feudal Japan Pt 2

Crud, I think this world might stretch for four chapters…I wasn't expecting that at all. What the heck are my muses planning? I bet this is all Rana's fault…

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Inu-Yasha is copywrite to VIZ and Rumiko Takahashi-sensei, and therefore, is not mine either._

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 16: Feudal Era Pt. 2**

"My my… this is certainly an interesting group that fate has thrown together."

Kouji rolled his eyes, studying the monk who had spoken with scrutiny. He was young-looking, for a man of the cloth, with dark eyes and hair, dressed in traditional black and purple robes with prayer beads around his neck. A golden staff indicating him as a servant of Buddha sat at his side, and his right hand seemed to have been hurt somehow, as it was wrapped entirely in purple cloth and yet another layer of prayer beads.

He rested his hands on his knees and bowed his head respectfully. "I must thank you for assisting Inu-Yasha and Miss Kagome this afternoon."

Sora, rather awkwardly returned the bow. Donald tried the same and fell over into Goofy's lap. Kouji just grunted a bit and went back to scowling around their little room in the village leader's house. There was a relatively large table of food laid out for them, the two gathered groups seated on either side, resting on large cushions. Donald and Goofy were busy stuffing their faces, but, for once, neither Sora nor Kouji seemed to be hungry.

The Keyblade Master looked over at Kagome, whose lightly twisted ankle was being tended to by the remaining members of Inu-Yasha's group. The first was a little boy with bright red hair and pointed ears, barely out of elementary school from the look of him. He, too, wore comfortable clothes in a hodgepodge of patterns. A bushy tail stuck out the back of his pants, indicating that he was, like Inu-Yasha, some kind of demon.

The other was a young woman, perhaps in her late teens or early twenties, with long hair and dark eyes that practically radiated traditional Japanese homogenous. She was almost completely covered in an elaborate yet visibly comfortable and free-flowing, kimono that was made for traveling. Her weapon, a huge boomerang about the same size and weight as Sora and Kouji combined, leaned against the wall as she wrapped bandages around the younger girl's ankle.

Sora leaned over to speak with Kagome. "How's your foot doing?"

"It's okay." The girl grinned, slipping her socks and shoes back on. "I'll just take it easy for a bit and it should be just fine."

"That's good," Sora sighed and settled back into his seat comfortably.

Kouji, somehow looking perfectly at home even though his feet were tucked underneath him in an odd manner, still wore a scowl on his face. "Who exactly _are_ you people?"

The monk was a little surprised, but laughed pleasantly. "Pardon our rudeness, it must have slipped my mind. My name is Miroku." He motioned to the woman tending Kagome's wound. "And this lovely young lady is called Sango."

"Pleased to meet you." The woman nodded her head in a well-trained courtesy bow, which Kouji returned.

"And I believe you already know Kagome and Inu-Yasha," Miroku motioned to the white-haired boy, who was leaning against the wall with an annoyed glower pasted firmly on his face, "though perhaps your meeting could have been a bit less eventful."

Sora laughed, but before he could say anything to respond, the little kid bounced up and down with an offended little cry. "Hey, what about me? What about me?"

"I was just getting there." Miroku laughed hesitantly, patting the little boy on the head. "This little guy is named Shippo."

The fox scowled. "I'm not that little."

"Of course not." Kagome soothed, patting his head.

Inu-Yasha snorted. "You look like it to me."

"Inu-Yasha! That's mean!"

Sora burst out laughing at the scene, not a disrespectful kind of laugh but a relief of pen-up stress. Donald and Goofy chuckled a little themselves, all earning strange looks from the new group and a sarcastic roll of the eyes from Kouji.

Inu-Yasha scowled. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." Sora calmed, but kept a light grin on his face. "You're all really good friends, aren't you?"

This time, it was Kagome's turn to smile. "Well, yes. You could say that."

"We've been through a lot together." Sango added in a calm, refined tone. "Traveling, fighting… when that happens, you can't help but get close."

Sora grinned at his own companions, his teeth showing all the way to the back. "Yeah. I know exactly what you mean."

Goofy hyuk'ed in agreement, nodding even as he turned back to the other group. "So, uh, why're you guys thinkin' to go after that Ice thingy up there in those mountains?"

"Who told you about that?" Inu-Yasha demanded, bristling in a defensive manner.

"A farmer." Donald quacked.

"We met him on the way in." Sora explained, his curiosity now peaked as well. He leaned forward over the table. "So… why _are_ you going after that ice demon?"

The eyes in the group drifted one by one to Kagome, who dug into her bag and pulled out a small bottle full of little white shards. "For these."

Donald, attracted by the sparkle, leaned forward eagerly. "What are they?"

"Synthesis shards?" Goofy hyuk'ed quietly.

"Oh no." Kagome shook her head. "These are pieces of the Shikon Jewel. They were scattered all over, and we're trying to find them."

Sora blinked. "Why?"

Kouji narrowed his eyes at the bottle of shards. "There's power in them."

"Say wha…?"

"He's right." Miroku said, folding his arms. "The Jewel was created from four pure energies that make up the core of human souls. Even a tiny sliver can increase a demon's power three-fold within days. To have so many shards scattered in this way is a danger to humans and peaceful spirits alike." He looked up and smirked at Kouji. "You have good eyes. You could see the aura?"

"Not really." Kouji muttered, shrugging. "I felt it when I touched a piece earlier."

Miroku nodded in understanding. "I see…"

"So you think that this ice demon's got one of the shards?" Sora breathed expectantly, a familiarly eager tone in his voice.

"It's possible." Sango assented. "This demon appeared practically out of nowhere and is noted to be much stronger than the other spirits in these mountains."

Shippo popped up again with his own two cents to throw in. "When a demon gets a Shikon Jewel shard, they can get really sick on the power. Completely crazy! It's probably better for him if we take the shard away."

Sora's eyes sparkled with the thought of another adventure, of something he'd never seen or experienced before. "You mind if we come along and help?"

Kouji glanced at him sharply, poisonously. Miroku smiled amiably. "I don't see why not."

"We don't need any help." Inu-Yasha sneered.

"But it never hurts to be prepared." Reasoned the monk calmly. "Consider it a thank you for helping you catch that strange bug."

Inu-Yasha's scowl deepened, as did Kouji's, though the former was more in resentment than the younger boy's anger. The dark-haired boy stood in one swift motion, his moves tense and stiff. Kagome noticed the dangerous aura surrounding him first. "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing." Kouji growled, his voice low. "I'm going to get some air."

He moved to the sliding door and pushed it open violently, then slammed it shut behind him so hard that the frame rattled.

"Goodness." Sango whispered, putting a hand to her lips. "He certainly seems upset about something."

"I'd suspect it's humor-related." Miroku sighed, putting an arm around her shoulders. "You know what a strain it can be on the mind of strapping young lads…"

Sango's eyes turned dangerously cold as she glared at im. "Get it off me, Monk, or I'll break more than your arm."

Miroku snapped his arm away.

Kagome looked at the door once more, then leaned over the table to speak to Sora. "You should talk to him."

"You think so?" Sora asked blankly, slurping some noodles.

"Yes, I do." Kagome's voice remained even. "He's upset about something. You're his friend, aren't you?"

"I guess…" Sora finished the noodles quickly, wiped the broth off his lips, and pushed himself to his feet. "I'll go see what's up."

Inu-Yasha scoffed. "It's a bad idea."

But Sora didn't hear it. He was already out the door.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Xantha took a deep breath, stretching his fingers before his other hand reached up and pulled away the dark glove.

He gritted his teeth and hissed at the sight of his own hand, snarling. The half-dead skin and exposed, depleted muscle burned without the gentle cover of enchanted cloth. Shaking his sleeve produced a flutter of gray ash, blowing into the air and falling ever further into pieces.

Xantha snarled and yanked the glove back over his hand. "We're running out of time." He snarled lightly, turning around. "_I'm_ running out of time. We need to do this _now_."

Myotismon, his face never changing despite the gruesome display, nodded regally. "It seems so. Earlier than we expected."

"You think I'm _trying_ to speed this up?"

"Of course not." Myotismon smirked, showing his fangs. "Even you would not be so reckless."

Xantha's scowl deepened another level into a harsh sneer. He turned on his heels and began to open the Corridor, but the vampire spoke again: "Before we go… It seems that something has come looking for you."

The teen turned back slowly. Myotismon held out a coiled brown-and-green whip, its tip adorned with sharp leaves. It seemed to glow lightly with refreshing green and gold sparkles.

Xantha's expression grew even harsher than it had before. "That's not mine."

"Of course it is." Myotismon's smirk widened. The whip twitched in his grip. "It can go to no other. By every right, it is yours. It has always been yours."

"I don't want it." The boy snapped again. "Keep it. I let Beryl have it for a reason."

Myotismon smiled and tucked away the whip again. "As you wish. Shall we go?"

Xantha grit his teeth, opening the portal. "Lead the way."

And they disappeared into the Darkness.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Sora found Kouji pacing. Just pacing, back and forth through the house's courtyard, his hand gripping the Sager's handle, muttering to himself in an indistinct tone. The Keyblade Master hovered a few feet away before he worked up the courage to approach.

"Hey…Kouji."

The other's eyes were on him in less than a second, sharpened and cold. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Sora said defensively, sliding back a bit. "You looked kinda upset."

"Really? I didn't think you'd notice." Kouji muttered sarcastically, and went back to pacing with swift, sharp steps.

Sora scowled, a bit offended, and gripped his hands into fists. "What is wrong with you lately? You've been like this since we got to Domino. You've gotten all… all…"

"All what?"

"Crabby!" Sora exclaimed, letting out his breath so harshly that he could have been blowing smoke. "Look, I know you're worried about your brother - I know how you feel, you know I do. I want to know where Riku is, too." Kouji scoffed. "But that's no reason to be such a jerk about it! These guys need help!"

"Do they?" Kouji retorted sharply. "You didn't see that guy run, or fight. If the rest of them are even half as strong as he is, they're not going to have a problem."

Sora took another step back, opening his mouth to say something, but Kouji cut him off. The swordsman had apparently hit his stride, taking a step forward to close the gap between them.

"You know what my problem is with you?" Kouji hissed, gripping his fists. "You act like this whole thing is some sort of game. What do you think you're doing, playing pretend? These are people's _lives_ we're talking about, entire worlds. And you can't even be bothered to take it seriously!"

"That isn't true!" Sora bristled all over in offense. "Of course I take it seriously!"

"And I suppose that's why you're always so willing to drop everything and go off adventuring in worlds that have nothing to do with you?"

Sora grit his teeth. It had always been his nature to help out others in need, and over the last year he had taken it has his _duty_ to do so. He was the Keyblade Master, he was _supposed _to help people, that's what he did.

"People need help."

"Sure they do." Kouji hissed, turning away. "Just keep telling yourself that."

Something in his tone made Sora's blood rise into a raging boil. "So what do you think we should do?"

"What we set out to!" Kouji snapped. "Finding _my_ brother, _their_ King and your _friend_ before something happens to them!"

"Like what?" Sora shouted. "What could happen to them? What are you so afraid of?"

"Your so-called _friend_!"

They were now mere inches from each other, Kouji's hand tight over the Sager, Sora's curling into fists as his arms pulled back. The contrast between their closed-guard and open-attack stances stood out obviously to the group crowded at the door who, hearing their angry shouts, had stuck their heads out to see what the commotion was about.

After a long, silent stare-down, Sora spoke. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

Kouji's glare never faltered. "Opened any wrong doors lately?"

Sora went rigid. "Riku didn't…"

"Did you think I wouldn't find out if you didn't tell me?" Kouji hissed, taking a step to the right, which Sora countered with one to the left. "You lost your world because of him…"

"We got it back!"

"You _lost_ it." Kouji snapped. "Because _he_ was curious and couldn't resist the darkness's offer. And you expect me to leave my brother in _his_ care while you go gallivanting off through worlds you don't belong in, sticking your nose in other people's business!"

If Sora's blood was boiling before, it was erupting at the attack on his friend.

"What the hell is wrong with helping people?" He raged back, snapping out like a viper. "We help when people need help, that's part of our job!"

"Says who?"

"Says me!" Sora shouted, and a wicked poison of an idea shot to his lips before he had time to think about it. "If you took the time to think about someone besides yourself for once, _maybe_ Silver Fang would still be alive!"

The color drained from Kouji's face. For a moment, Sora felt the rising satisfaction that comes from winning a vicious argument, but that inner gloating only lasted for a moment before Kouji's fist met his face with enough force to send the Keyblade Master crashing to the ground.

"Sora!" Donald quacked as he and Goofy burst from the door and to their friend's side.

Kagome and the others remained in the doorway, but the girl's eyes traced the path to where Kouji was still standing. "Minamoto-kun?"

The young swordsman's hand was still in a raised fist, his knuckles red from the impact, his body tense down to the very last muscle. His eyes, free from the usual shadowed cover of his blue bandana, were narrowed into a cold, icy glare.

"That's it." He hissed. "I quit."

He spun on his heel and stormed away, back towards the village.

"Kouji!" Goofy called after here. "Where're you goin'?"

"Away from you." Kouji growled, never turning back. "I don't need your help."

Sora, his hand clamped over his bruised cheek, sat up and shouted after him. "Fine! Forget you! You selfish jerk!"

Kouji didn't respond. He just kept going, down the hill to the dirt road and disappearing back into the village below.

"Oh dear," Sango muttered, pulling away from the door and turning back to the others in her own group. "_That_ could have gone better."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Kairi yawned, rubbing her eye with one hand. Her bare feet sank into the cool sand as the rising tide licked at her ankles. The blue sea glimmered beautifully in the silver moonlight, reflecting both the pale white stars of the night sky and the soft orange-yellow of the Islands' capital city behind her. It was well past midnight and, technically, she wasn't supposed to be out on the beach like this, but she found herself… restless.

She'd dreamt again, of that boy. Izumi's friend. Kouji's brother. Kouichi. They'd become relatively good friends, for two people who had never actually met. He'd been traveling with Riku, and told her how he was doing, and in return, she had assured him that Izumi was also doing well. They spoke of their homes and the differences between them, of adventures and of life, their hopes and their fears. He was quite a good companion, she'd decided, and decidedly unlike any boy she'd ever met.

But tonight's dream had been different. Strange. Both had felt as though someone… something… was watching. It was this discomfort that caused them both to back out of their slumber early and sent her to wander the nighttime beach alone.

Kairi sighed, taking a deep breath of the cool, salty night air. Part of her mind knew that she had not always been an Islander, but the sea calmed her in a way that nothing else could…

Something hard and cold thumped against her bare foot. She opened her eyes and looked down.

There was a pendant sitting on top of her toes, a pretty blue stone about the size of a golf ball cross-section. The color of the rock was a beautiful, deep turquoise without a crack, smudge or imperfection. Its base was a pale silver in the shape of waves, framing the pretty stone delicately before melting into a thin, strong silver chain.

Kairi crouched down for just a moment, lifting the necklace up into her hands. It reflected the moonlight just like the waves of the sea, and that observation made her smile.

"I like it." She whispered, almost as a thank-you to the universe. She slipped the jewel over her head so that it dangled from her neck, pulling her hair out to fall freely over her back. She smiled at her reflection in the water, two layers of beautiful blue, one on top of the other.

Then she lifted her head and returned to her home. Something in her mind told her that she could sleep now.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Kagome, why the hell are we doing this?" Inu-Yasha grumbled, taking another leap to keep up with the girl as she carefully maneuvered her bike along the dirt road.

"We can't just let him go on alone." The girl sighed, bracing herself for another hard bump. "It's dangerous out here, you know that."

"Danger my foot," Inu-Yasha mumbled. "The kid can take care of himself."

Kagome sighed. She didn't want to admit it to the half-demon, but felt somewhat responsible for the young swordsman running off the night before. Which was why the three of them - herself, Inu-Yasha and a sleeping Shippo - where taking the low road through the base of the mountains in search of the younger boy. According to the villagers, he had spent the night in a tree and remained for about an hour after sunrise, just long enough to repair a broken roof and receive payment for the chore in food. Kagome figured that he couldn't have gone that far…

Shippo woke up about this time, sitting up in the basket of the bike and yawning broadly. He blinked, leaning forward to gaze ahead, and suddenly perked up.

"Hey, look!" He called, pointing up the path. "There he is!"

And so he was, the dark blue yukata standing out against the gray rock of the hill he was ambling down. The was a green neckerchief over his left shoulder, presumably, the bread and dried meat given to him by the grateful village woman and her daughter. His steps were carefully measured to keep his weight forward, but his center of gravity even, both prepared for attack and warded against slipping at the same time.

Kagome's eyes lit up, and she moved her bike into a quick downhill slide. "Minamoto-kun!"

The younger boy jerked at his name and turned to glare at her in annoyance. "What do you want?"

Kagome slid her bike to a stop, with Inu-Yasha landing on a nearby rock, a scowl firmly on his face. Kouji mirrored his expression. Shippo popped up out of the basket with a grin. "We were worried about you! It's dangerous out here on your own!"

Kouji's scowl deepened and he glanced determinedly away. "I don't need your help."

"I told you." Inu-Yasha grumbled, straightening to his full height and leaning against the rocky mountain wall.

Kagome ignored him and stepped off her bike, leaving herself on even ground with the boy. "Minamoto-kun… listen." She paused a moment to gather her thoughts, then started again. "Don't you think this is a little… drastic? You've been traveling together for an awfully long time to just…"

"This has been overdue for a while." Kouji scowled even more and started walking again.

Shippo's ears fell. "Hey, wait…"

"Minamoto-kun…"

"Kagome, stop." Inu-Yasha's voice was sharp and insistent enough that the girl did exactly as he said. "We don't know these kids, and there's no reason to bother them. If this is all we're gonna do here, we might as well catch up with Miroku and the others before they take that demon down without us."

Kagome looked a bit affronted, as did Shippo. "We can't just…"

"It's not like he's going to listen to us anyway, Kagome. This is a waste of time." Inu-Yasha sniffed, his eyes focused on the other swordsman's back. "Besides, I know the type. The more you try to help him, the less he wants you around."

A spark of recognition flashed across Kagome's eyes. "Sounds like you, Inu-Yasha."

Kouji stopped for just a moment and turned back to look up at them. His scowl was gone - in fact, he seemed to be on the verge of laughing - but before anything more could be said, the air changed.

Because it blew up from the cracks between the foothills, the strange wind hit Kouji first with visible results. The young swordsman shuddered and spun on his heels, his hands clutching at his weapon. Shippo shuddered, his hair standing on end, and ducked back into the basket with a shriek. Kagome didn't feel anything in particular, though goose bumps rose up on her arms. Inu-Yasha hissed, his nose wrinkling in disgust and his mouth curling into a snarl.

"I know this scent." He growled. "Naraku."

For a moment, everything around them was silent. Then a spider of the shadows dropped out of nowhere and attacked.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Sora shivered a bit and rubbed his bare arms. There was no snow or ice yet - despite how he might have felt - but never before had he missed the heavy, hooded jacket that was his usual attire as much as he did now.

Beside him, Donald sneezed nasally, and sniveled. "Hey, how much further do we need to go?"

"It won't be long now." Miroku said lightly, as though he hadn't a care in the world. "The colder it gets, the closer we are to this demon of ice."

"Just great." Donald grumbled in annoyance.

Goofy sneezed, lost his balance, and rolled down the hill until he hit a rock. The other three - as Sango had gone on ahead to scout, riding the back of the cat demon Kirara - paused to wait for him, giving Sora a chance to look around and think.

The view from up here was beautiful, he had to admit: the rocky base of the mountain melding easily into the grassy fields where they met, both cut easily by the coiled brown rope that was the dirt path. Said path split off at the base of this range, one snaking up the mountainside, the other moving to coil through the lower regions of the range. The others had split off in that direction early this morning…

"Where did Inu-Yasha go off to?" He asked aloud, brushing his hair back out of his eyes. "And Kagome?"

Miroku smiled mysteriously. "I'm sure they have their own tasks and errands to complete before they catch up with us."

Donald scowled grumpily. "Like what?"

"Gawrsh, maybe they went after Kouji." Goofy hyuk'ed as he lumbered up the slope. "I sure do hope he's doin' okay."

"Well, I don't." Sora scowled, crossing his arms. "I hope he gets caught in a rockslide, the big jerk."

Donald crossed his wings in the same manner and huffed. "Me too."

"Gawrsh, you guys don't mean that." Goofy's ears drooped a bit under his hat. "Kouji's our friend."

"Miroku!"

The four snapped their heads up at Sango's voice as she and Kirara came soaring around the side of the mountain. The monk's face lit up. "Sango! Any luck?"

"Yes!" The demon-hunter called as Kirara looped around them. "We found the cave! It's straight along the path, there's no way to miss it!"

With a light order to the huge cat, she was off again at a slow trot, bobbing through the air as the others followed after. Sora was so focused on tracking the flying beast that it took a hard, painful blow to the chin for him to realize that his foot had slid out from under him.

When his sense realigned, he managed to lift his hand for a good look around, there was only one thing he could say:

"Woah."

The cave, and the mountain around it, seemed to be made entirely of glass. The rocks were coated with pure white ice, carefully overlaid with delicate frost and piles of snow. It was the most beautiful winter scene Sora had ever laid eyes on, and yet… it terrified him all the same.

"This is awesome."

"Yeah…" Donald quacked, quietly awed.

"Like, gawrsh…"

A hand suddenly came down on Sora's shoulder, making the boy jump.

"Shush." Miroku hissed. "Be careful. Remember, this creature is dangerous. We don't want to startle it."

Sora bit his lip and nodded in understanding, summoning the Keyblade into his hand as quietly as he could. Miroku motioned to Sango, who advanced quickly to her next position on the ice, the Hirokotsu ready for attack in her hand. Miroku and Sora slipped after her to the mouth of the cave, leaving Donald and Goofy where they were for fear of alerting the beast to their presence.

Now that they were close enough, they could hear a sound coming from the depths of the cave: a soft voice. "Go away… go away…"

Sora's heart was racing with excitement. This was what he had looked forward to, what he lived for, the rush of adventure, the excitement, the anticipation. He was _so_ ready for this, ready to work out pent-up frustrations and annoyances with so-called teammates, eager even as he leaned over to gaze into the cave…

"Go _away_."

The Keyblade Master was surprised at the form he saw, his resolve shaken. The figure was small, not as small as Shippo, but still small and thin and obviously young, hunched over himself and completely hidden by rags. Only a pair of sharp green eyes glowing in the light from the cave mouth could be seen, staring out at them with a wide-eyed expression of haunted horror.

"It's… It's a kid!"

"Sora!" Miroku called in warning, and a blast of ice and wind struck them hard as the beast roared again.

"_GO AWAY!"_

And, with a blizzard of ice and snow, the demon of the mountain shot out and attacked.

_**TBC…**_

Synthesis items are pieces you collect during the KH video games in order to synthesize items with the help of the Moogles. They come in various types, such as Fire, Thunder and Twilight; and various sizes, starting with the smallest Shards and going up through perfect-sized (and rare) crystals. There are other types, of course, but those are the most prominent, and I felt like putting the crack in because I'm a Synthesis nut.

Wouldn't that be a fun KH mini-game? "_The Shikon Jewel shards have been scattered all over the worlds! Find them wherever you can!" _Like the 101 Dalmatians from the first one!


	18. Chapter 17: Feudal Japan Pt 3

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Inu-Yasha is copywrite to VIZ and Rumiko Takahashi-sensei, and therefore, is not mine either._

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 17: Feudal Japan Pt. 3**

Kouji jumped back, barely avoiding the torrent of sticky white thread and somehow managing to keep his balance in spite of the slick, smooth rock that he had landed on. The Sager, its green light howling softly each time he moved, vibrated in his grip, warning him of the huge spider leg that came crashing down, inches away from where he now stood.

This Heartless was an impressive beast, for being such a freak of nature. It took the shape of a gigantic black spider whose massive legs rested on either wall of the relatively small crevice, suspending its bulbous body two feet in the air. Huge jaws lined with long, white, moustache-like whiskers stretched down in an attempt to snatch Kouji or the other fighters and tear them apart. The thread, a single strand as thick as Kouji's arm, as sticky as not-quite-dried rubber cement, and strong enough to support most of the mountain without even a strain, seemed to come from either end at the beast's choosing. Half of the miniature cavern had already been made into a chaotic web, and it was all that the young swordsman could do to avoid being caught in its folds.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the trademark hiss of the monster, the air from which nearly knocked him over. He jumped back, narrowly avoiding the jaws, and slashed with his blade.

"Minamoto-kun!"

With a sharp, energetic _PING!_ a bright red arrow shot from behind him, glowing lightly with a pearl-blue light. It flew straight without the slightest interference from the wind to lodge itself between the beast's beady yellow eyes. The Heartless roared in pain, yanking backwards, and Kouji slipped away.

Kagome, her bow still ready in her hand, was waiting for him as he righted himself. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Fine." Kouji spat a bit and rubbed his lower lip, checking for blood.

Shippo popped his head over Kagome's shoulder, his pointed ears twitching lightly. "You should take it easy! Inu-Yasha can handle this, no problem!"

Kouji didn't look to him, instead gazing out at the white-haired half-demon he had previously been assisting. Inu-Yasha leapt with a controlled measure of force and precision that Kouji's warrior side had to admire. The boy in red stretched out the fingers of his right hand, curling them inward to bare his sharp claws.

_"Iron River Soul Stealer!"_ He roared, slashing downward and taking a sizable chuck of putrid flesh from the spider's side. There was only a small puff of purplish gas - the equivalent, Kouji could only assume, to the creature's blood - before the wound stitched itself back up again without so much as a scar.

"Damn," Inu-Yasha cursed, landing rather hard for someone who was fighting barefoot. "He must have a Jewel Shard."

"You think?" Kouji grit his teeth, switching the grip on the Sager. He didn't know enough about Heartless or 'Jewel Shards' to be able to tell, but…

Inu-Yasha spat off to the side and reached for the sword that hung around his waist. He pulled it from its sheaf with one swift motion and, as it slid out, it blossomed into a gigantic fang, as thick as most skyscraper support beams and at least as tall as Inu-Yasha himself. The half-demon hoisted it over his shoulder single-handedly, then pulled it in front of him with a two-handed grip.

Kouji's eyebrow perked slightly in interest. "Nice sword."

"Same to you." Inu-Yasha paused a moment to motion to the light-blade in a distant sort of appreciation, then turned his golden eyes on the Heartless once more. "Kagome, can you see it? Tell me where the Jewel Shard is!"

"Just a sec…" Kagome narrowed her eyes and, for a split second, Kouji got the distinct feeling that she could see something that he couldn't. "On his back, right at the center of that mark!"

Kouji's eyes flashed to the huge Emblem on the Heartless's back. He couldn't see anything special about it, but he knew what she was talking about right at the point where the heart dipped in.

"All right then…" Inu-Yasha shifted his grip on the sword and lunged forward. "Take this! _Tetsuiga!_"

He hoisted the sword up with little visible effort and brought it down on the spider's legs in one great swipe. He was obviously trying to bring the spider to the ground, but to no avail. The legs stitched themselves back together almost instantly, and the spider roared a high-pitched challenge.

"Dammit!" Inu-Yasha cursed again, growling.

Shippo popped up again. "You want to hit the shard, Inu-Yasha! You gotta hit it there!"

"I know that!" The half-demon snapped. "I can't get to it from down here!"

"Then think of something!" Kagome exclaimed.

Kouji's mind was already working. The pieces were coming together in a complicated and possibly suicidal puzzle… but if it was timed just right, it could work…

"I've got an idea," his mouth said before his brain could quite get the last details worked out. The others turned to him, tense, curious and focused on his intense face.

He hated being stared at, so he took a deep breath and began to explain it quickly…

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Sora, watch out!"

The Keyblade Master kicked off the wall he was leaning against, flying away just seconds before it had frozen to a slick, shiny, solid block of ice. Sora hit the ground and rolled, popping up on his feet again to face their enemy once more.

Well… he wasn't even sure if he should called their opponent 'enemy'. The poor kid looked scared out of his wits.

Miroku rolled away from several long ice spikes that were shot at him, swiping his staff to eliminate the last one. "This strength… it's impressive."

"Yeah, but he's not stronger than us!" Donald squawked, thrusting his wand. "C'mon, let's blast him!"

He began to summon up a powerful thunder spell, but before he could, Miroku's hand shot out. "Stop!"

"Why should I?" Donald demanded.

Sora frowned. "There's something wrong…"

"Wrong?"

The Keyblade Master nodded, his blue eyes scanning the battlefield. Goofy and Sango were crouched on the other side of the icy field, shield and boomerang raised in defense. The 'demon'… a small boy with messy brown hair, wrapped up in a thick, warm brown cloak so that only his scared green eyes could be seen, his feet latched to a flat board with heavy boots… was hovering in the entryway of the cave, attacking everyone who came near. Ice radiated from the little cave and the boy was chanting to himself wildly, his eyes wide.

"G-Get away." He hissed, voice low and strange in a harsh kind of gurgle. "S-Stay away… S-Stay away from me … Get away!"

Sora knew the tone of those words. He'd heard it many times, sometimes from his own throat, sometimes from others. It was fear, pure fear, terror, panic…

"He's scared." He whispered, his eyes widening. "He's really, really scared. There's something wrong with him."

"Yes." Miroku agreed in a soft tone. "I can sense the power of a jewel shard coming from that board. It must be having a negative effect on his control. He can't handle so much power."

Donald scowled again. "So what?"

"So it isn't his fault!" Sora exclaimed, gripping the Keyblade. "We've gotta help him!"

"Miroku!" Sango called in warning.

The monk snapped his head up just in time to yank Sora and Donald down. A torrent of ice and snow shot like a cannon, inches from where their heads had been before, with enough force to take all of their heads off. Sango took this opportunity to come at the 'demon' from behind, hurling the Hiraikotsu with all of her might.

It struck the boy in the back with a dulled thump, the attack softened just a bit by a barrier of snow that kept it from breaking his back. The boy, reeling from his wave of snow, tumbling head-over-heels over Sora, Miroku and Donald and hit the ground hard. With a light cry, he rolled until - to the Keyblade Master's shock and horror - he fell from the edge of the cliff.

"Ah!" Sora ran to the edge, gazing down. The young boy had rolled to his feet and was now sliding down the steep slope on a path of his own snow and ice. "He's… He's okay."

"Yes," Miroku sighed, his grip still tense, "but it won't last. He still has minimal control. The device is operating only on its own protective instincts."

Goofy hobbled up, his face drooping a bit, hyuck'ing in a mournful fashion. "Gwarsh. He seemed really scared. Yeh think we kin 'elp him?"

"We have to at least try." Sango reasoned, hoisting the Hiraikotsu over her shoulder once more.

Sora nibbled his upper lip, glancing at Miroku out of the corner of his eye. For a second, they just stood there, silently communicating, then a grin spread over the Keyblade Master's face.

"All right then. _BANZAI!"_

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Are you sure this is gonna work?"

Kouji scowled at the back of Inu-Yasha's fluffy white head. "If it doesn't, I'm the one who's screwed, not you."

Inu-Yasha had to agree that he was right on that account. After all, he wasn't the one crouched on the broadside of the Tetsuiga's blade, barely stable on the rough metal, about to be thrown at the monster spider with all the force your above-average half-demon could muster, Kouji's body was curled up on itself, achieving the joint goals of tensing every muscle in his body and making himself as small as possible. The Sager glowed brightly in his hand, ready to action.

Kagome looked squeamish. "You're… You're really _sure_ about this, Minamoto-kun?"

"He already said 'Yes', didn't he?" Inu-Yasha growled, setting his bare feet in preparation for the attack. "Okay, kid, better hang on to your hat!"

He yanked the Tetsuiga forward like a catapult, kicking off the ground to add some extra height and momentum. At the peak of the curve, Kouji launched himself forward. He shot through the air at three times his normal speed, arching up in a towering curve, right over the spider's huge head.

The speed was more than Kouji had been expecting, much more, but his mind was running on the pure thrust of his adrenaline, and adjusted almost instantly, angling the arch of his flight to his target. As calculated, he landed square in the middle of the giant Heartless's Emblem and stabbed the Sager deep into the spider's flesh.

The giant Heartless roared and bucked, but Kouji held tight. He reached into the hole he had created and snatched out the Jewel Shard, coughing on the foul purple smoke that billowed from the wound. Clutching the shard in his fist, he thrust his hands up in a definite signal.

"He's got it!" Shippo cheered. "Strike now, Inu-Yasha!"

"You don't have to _tell_ me!" Growled the half-demon in mid-lunge, hoisting his big sword up over his head, bringing it down on the spider, right where the swirling mass of smoke and energy was clashing with Inu-Yasha's own power. "Take this! _Wind Scar!_"

The great fang-blade sliced the spider into huge chunks that spewed smoke and fell almost instantly. Kouji, small enough that he could slide beneath the attack, but was blinded by the blossoming smog and fell with the peices, plummeting towards the ground.

Kagome gasped. "Inu-Yasha!"

"I've got it!" The dog-demon called back. He shoved the Tetsuiga back into its sheaf, leaping up to catch the smaller boy before he hit the ground. Kouji hacked painfully, his lungs and eyes filled with the smog, his insides burning…

"Kagome, get over here!" Inu-Yasha called, pulling the teen away from the smoke and the debris. "We need that antidote for miasma-poisoning, now!"

"Right!" Kagome and Shippo abandoned the bike to hurry over. The girl hit her knees beside where Inu-Yasha had set Kouji down, digging into her bag with one hand. "Open your mouth, Minamoto-kun."

Wearily, the young swordsman did as he was told. Kagome produced a small, freshly-green leaf, which she pushed onto his tongue before pushing his jaw closed and holding it there.

Kouji let out a muffled shout of protest, grabbing her arm and jerking violently like a housedog being forced to take its pill. Kagome gave him a regretful look. "I know it's bitter, Minamoto-kun, but you have to keep it there, just for a few more minutes."

Kouji growled a bit, but forced himself to relax. The bitter juice of the leaf mixed with his own saliva and trickled down his throat. It burned all the way to his heart, in a nature akin to swallowing a small bit of battery acid, but as soon as it mixed with the putrid gas of his lungs, the pain instantly vanished.

When his heartbeat had slowed to its normal speed, Kagome let go so he could open his mouth. Instantly, he spat out the leaf. "Bleh!"

Kagome laughed. "Hey, it's better than dying of poison. Here, drink some water. It'll get the taste out."

He took the bottle and did so, pausing only an instant of thought on the fact that the plastic bottle was, most definitely, _not_ from the Sengoku era, but that disappeared as soon as the cool, crisp liquid hit his dry mouth.

He finished off the little bottle and took a deep breath. "Thanks."

"No problem." Kagome grinned brightly.

Now that there was no life-threatening danger of any kind, Inu-Yasha seemed more than willing to return to his old self. "Did you get it?"

Kouji didn't answer with words, simply thrusting his closed fist out under Inu-Yasha's nose. His fingers slowly uncurled, revealing the small, silver shard that sat harmlessly on his palm like a piece of broken jewelry.

Kagome reached out and plucked the shard from the boy's hand. It glowed slightly in his grip, and she smiled. "All right! Nice going, Minamoto-kun."

Kouji grunted and rubbed his aching, swollen throat, still sore from both the poison and its antidote.

Inu-Yasha scoffed. "It's not like it's any big deal, it was his own plan. He probably figured it all out before he opened his trap."

"He did it better than you usually do, Inu-Yasha!" Shippo piped brightly. "You usually jump in without thinking at all!"

"Shut up, brat!"

_POW!_

"Ow! Ka-go-meee!"

The girl turned to settle the dispute, but at that moment, an unfamiliar ripple of energy slid through the canyon. It was strong enough that Kouji lifted his head towards the source and accompanied by a smell that Inu-Yasha could follow as well.

The dog-demon hissed. "What the hell…?"

Kagome was tense, the strange feeling bristling up and down her spine like a rough brush. "I-Inu-Yasha? What is that?"

"I recognize that scent… both of them." Inu-Yasha hissed. "But something's different."

"Something's wrong." Kouji muttered, licking dry lips as he pushed to his own feet again. "Very wrong."

Inu-Yasha wrinkled his nose. "Rotten."

He moved forward in the direction of the smell, his bare feet gripping ground that would have easily torn a human's flesh. "Kagome, you and Shippo stay here."

"What?" The girl exclaimed. "Why should we?"

"It's dangerous!" Inu-Yasha snapped.

Kouji stumbled just a bit as he moved forward, but recovered quickly. "I'm coming, too."

"You sure you can handle this, kid?" Inu-Yasha raised an incredulous eyebrow.

Kouji responded with a cold glower. "Try me."

"Fine, then." Inu-Yasha turned back to the strange feeling. "…Let's go."

The two slid forward down the ravine, carefully avoiding the chunks of spider scattered around them, their mouths and noses covered to mask the poisonous gases. It took only a moment for them to find the source of presence, which turned out to be a shallow little cave, mostly masked by a thick overgrowth of shrubbery. The tangy sensation of Darkness was so heavy that it nearly made Kouji wretch.

"Found you…" Inu-Yasha muttered, lifting the Tetsuiga. "This must be what that spider was guarding. Stand back!"

Kouji took a small backstep just before the great blade of the Tetsuiga swept down and sheared the bushes from their roots with one fell swoop.

The cave's contents now revealed, the teens - along with Kagome and Shippo, who had snuck along in spite of warnings – stared.

"…What the hell?"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"WOOOOAAAAAAH!"

Sora's voice looped and slid as he sailed down the path of ice left behind by the boy's board. He was lying on his back, sliding haphazardly with all the grace of an average Joe who'd stumbled onto a bobsledding run without a board. Which, in retrospect, was actually very similar to what he was doing now. Miroku was right behind him doing the same, though somewhat more refined, his staff acting as a rudder to ease his steering along the ice. Donald, in the very rear, was squawking and spinning as he fell, screaming his head off. Sango and Goofy were lopping through the air behind them on Kirara's back.

The Keyblade Master was laughing the whole way down.

Sora turned back to grin at Miroku brightly. "Some ride, huh?"

"Indeed." The monk's face was serious, yet playful. "Watch out. We're getting close."

"To what?" Donald squawked, twisting around.

The answer was obvious, so the other two didn't answer. Sora measured the distance between himself and the so-called 'Ice Demon' very carefully before he drew on all the experience he'd earned from Tarzan's lessons sliding through the jungle to push himself up to his feet. He crouched down to increase the speed and closed the gap intently. "Hey! Kid! You gotta calm down! We just want to talk to you!"

"Stay away!" The boy shouted again, jumping up to another ledge. Sora leapt over the gap in the ice, as did Miroku, while Kirara dove to catch Donald by the hem of his robe.

The boy turned back, his eyes wide and fearful. "Get away! Go! I don't want to hurt you!"

"You won't!" Sora called, ducking under a withered, now frozen, branch that the boy had slid under to avoid him. "Just calm down and everything will be fine! Okay?"

"No!" The boy shrieked, and a blade of ice shot from the board. Sora yanked to the side, barely dodging the sharp edge, and Miroku knocked it away with his staff. "Everyone…Everyone who gets near me gets hurt! I can't stop it, and I hate it! So stay away!"

He yanked back his board and shot away from the mountain, snow falling behind him, sparkling in the sun like a frozen rainbow. The board's path was smooth, but the boy's body was angled in the wrong direction for the arch to be so solid.

Sora flew as well, off the edge of the ice, and his feet scrambled to get a grip on the ground. At that, they failed, and he fell forward to roll head-over-heels until a large rock jarred him to a stop.

Miroku, who had a bit more forewarning, calculated his flight until he had landed solidly on the ground. With his bearings straight, he hurried down to the Keyblade Master. "Sora, are you all right?"

"Yeah… I think I'm okay." Sora sat up slowly as Kirara landed beside them.

Sango remained mounted on her cat-demon companion's shoulders, her eyes tracing the path of the small boy through the air. "He seems so… frightened."

"Poor little guy." Goofy hyuk'ed sympathetically.

Sora sat up, his eyes still focused on the flying form. He set his jaw in determination. "We have to help him. Save him. He's just a kid."

"You're right." Miroku nodded, using his staff to push to his feet. "Obviously, the boy cannot be held accountable for what is happening to him. It is only right that we free him from that guilt."

"So let's get going!" Donald squawked, impatient.

"Right." Sango nodded and planted her hands on Kirara's shoulder like a rider gripping the reigns. "We'll go on ahead."

"I'll go with you!" Sora insisted, stepping forward. "I think I can get through to him. I nearly did it this time. I want to try again."

Miroku nodded in a calm manner, approaching the cat demon and hunter calmly. "Yes, it does seem wise. And, since Kirara moves swiftest with two riders…"

Using his staff, he poked Donald in the small of the back. The wizard squawked and fell off Kirara's haunches with a thump. Goofy, catching on more quickly, slid off the huge creature with a bright chuckle.

Sango leaned down and gave Sora a hand hopping up on the demon's back. "Steady?"

"Yeah. I think so." Sora shifted a bit, then settled down and gave a thumbs-up. "Good to go!"

"All right then. We'll follow behind." Miroku nodded, reaching up to shake Sora's hand. "Good luck."

Sango shuddered suddenly and smacked Miroku up the side of the head. Sora realized, rather belatedly, that as Miroku's hand had fallen from their friendly shake, he'd purposely traced it from Sango's waist to her thigh. "Keep your hands to yourself, you perverted monk!"

"Ah…" Miroku put a hand to his burning red cheek. "Of course, my dear. I just wanted to offer a bit of luck."

"You can keep that to yourself, too!" Sango shouted and, despite her anger, managed to control the light signaling kick to a mild thump, so she wouldn't hurt Kirara. The cat-demon let out a guttural growl and leapt up into the air, taking Sora and Sango along for the ride.

Miroku sighed, adjusting his slightly-askew robe. "You cannot blame a man for following his natural instincts." He reasoned brightly, and began to lead the way along the path once more.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"What the hell is this?"

Inu-Yasha's voice echoed through the small cave as Kouji stepped carefully through the entrance. The chamber itself was not particularly impressive - it was a circular shape, about ten feet in diameter and sixteen feet up to the ceiling, which had a small hole in the center that let in a pillar of silver-blue light. What the half-demon was staring at was the figure in the center of the room. Literally, the center.

A young boy lay flat in mid-air in the middle of the room, suspended by long, thick twines of spider web that were wrapped around his arms, legs and waist. He looked to be about Kouji's age, or a little younger, with black hair that was tied up into a high ponytail, freckles and half-open, muddy brown eyes. He wore a pale blue robe similar in style to Sora's, with sandals on his feet and a sickle-like blade held loosely in his unresisting right hand.

Kouji took a step closer, examining the boy's face, mentally noting the extra pair of footsteps echoing behind him. He didn't recognize the other teen, he was sure of that, and he was absolutely certain that they had never met before, in any of his travels, but for some reason the child felt… familiar…

"Oh my god!" Kouji jumped. He'd forgotten about Kagome. "Kohaku!"

Kouji's eyes flicked to the girl. "You know this kid?"

"His name is Kohaku." Kagome whispered, her eyes wide. "He's Sango's younger brother. She's been looking for him for so long…"

Shippo poked his little red head over the girl's shoulder. "But what could've happened to him?"

Inu-Yasha scoffed, his body lightly tense in the entrance of the cave. "Whatever it is, bet it has to do with Naraku."

Kouji turned back to him, narrowing his eyes. "Who's Naraku?"

"He's-"

Kagome was cute off by a violent jerk that shook the entire cave. The girl was thrown forward violently, and Shippo went flying from her shoulder. Kouji, stumbling himself, caught the fox-demon in his arms, then suddenly found himself staggering back.

"Kagome, watch out!" Inu-Yasha shouted, yanking the girl back through the mouth of the cave as rocks began to fall.

Kohaku rocked haphazardly back and forth, cushioned by the web, somehow managing to avoid all of the rocks and grime. Kouji hit his knees, covering the little demon in his arms, and disappeared under a waterfall of dust and rock.

"Shippo!" Kagome screamed. "Minamoto-kun!"

Inu-Yasha yanked her back and blocked her from the flying debris. Slowly, the quaking earth began to calm, and the dust coated everything - and everyone - in the cave.

They couldn't see a thing.

**TBC…**

_Iron River Soul Stealer - _Inu-Yasha's bladeless claw attack, from early on in the anime. His claws are razor sharp, and he can slash through most demons with his claws alone.

_Wind Scar - _The first of the Tetsuiga's secret moves, which stems from both Inu-Yasha's own power and that of his father's fang. I've decided to write this Inu-Yasha world at right around the time he first got the Tetsuiga, which means that the Wind Scar is at its limited state: it can only be activated when the two 'winds' of demonic energy - Inu-Yasha's and his opponents - meet. The Tetsuiga slices through the gap between the two energies, creating a massive attack, shown above.


	19. Chapter 18: Feudal Japan Pt 4

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Inu-Yasha is copyright to VIZ and Rumiko Takahashi-sensei, and, therefore, is not mine either._

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 18: Feudal Japan Pt. 4**

Kouji coughed, clearing what dust he could from his lungs, given that the brown-black cloud was still settling in the dark depths of the cave. The young swordsman groaned, placing one hand against the ground and pushing himself up - before realizing, with a light shock, that his body, legs and left arm were unable to move.

"Minamoto-kun! Can you hear me? Minamoto-kun!"

He forced his eyes open at Shippo's worried voice to find that the little demon had been thrown clear of the rubble and was now standing in the little space left within the cavern. Kouji had not been so lucky - he was pinned beneath the rock and dirt with only his head, shoulders and right arm free. A light test of his muscles showed that he had been relatively lucky - he was only caught, not crushed, and had somehow managed to escape major injury. The only sensation came from his left arm, which had been caught between two rocks and was throbbing painfully.

"Are you okay? Can you breathe?"

"I'm _fine_." Kouji grunted and winced at the extra pressure it put on him. There wasn't _that_ much room between the rocks and his body.

Shippo hopped closer, worried. "You're sure you're not hurt?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Kouji growled a bit, letting his head rest on top of his free arm. "I'm just stuck."

Shippo frowned, crossing his arms and frowning hard as he thought. Then his eyes lit up and his face spread into a smile. "I'll get you out!"

Kouji lifted his head just before the little demon hopped on top of it. Shippo scrunched himself down and scrambled along Kouji's back, into the pile of rocks. A few small stones fell out and hit Kouji on the head, adding to the boy's confusion and annoyance. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Don't worry!" Shippo's voice was muffled, echoing slightly. "Just get ready to move!"

Before Kouji could object, the little fox pulled a leaf from his pocket and burst into a puff of smoke. Filled with his own magic, he blossomed out into a large pink balloon. The rocks were lifted from their place just long enough for Kouji to scramble out, then Shippo shot behind him like a cannon, tumbling into his real form and landing in Kouji's good arm.

The little demon giggled awkwardly as the rocks fell inward, making their little bubble of air and light that much smaller. "Told yeh I'd get you out."

Kouji rolled his eyes and set the fox down. He winced at the forks of pain that shot up from his left elbow. A quick glance at the arm's symptoms - swollen to twice its normal size, unable to move anything below the elbow, and something hard pressing against the skin from the inside - brought him to a quick diagnosis: Broken.

"Damn," he swore, clutching the arm so that it wouldn't be jarred any more than it needed to be.

Shippo winced when he caught sight of the wounded arm. "Oh, no! I knew you were hurt!"

Kouji grit his teeth. "It's nothing important."

A light groan caught his attention and he twisted around to find its source. On the other side of the now-enclosed cave, sprawled across the half-collapsed walls of rock, illuminated by the hole in the ceiling, lay the boy who had previously been dangling in the center of what was now their prison. The long tendrils of spider web had folded around him as he fell, but they were even now fading away in tiny streams of purple smoke. The threads around his chest were almost completely gone now, revealing a small, bizarre object about the size of a volleyball imbedded directly between the two sides of his ribcage.

Shippo hurried forward, hopping from rock to rock quickly to reach Kohaku. He quickly checked the young teen over, then sighed. "I don't think he's hurt. We all got pretty lucky."

Kouji wandered over a bit more slowly, carefully removing his jacket to make a good sling for his arm… he couldn't set it on his own, and doubted that Shippo could help with something like that, so he would have to wait until they found Kagome. He scanned over the other boy curiously, his eyes falling on the strange orb. "What is that?"

"I don't know." Shippo admitted, hopping up to wave his hand in front of Kohaku's half-open eyes. The teen didn't respond, just groaned again. "I think he's sick or something. He won't wake up."

Kouji sat down, frowning at Kohaku as Shippo hopped up the rocks to help tie his sling. The strange orb bulging from the younger boy's chest was most definitely _not_ normal, no matter how weird this world was - the glowing purple flame squirming around the black core made that obvious. It seemed to be protecting something, or maybe it was trying to wrench something free…?

"Minamoto-kun, we gotta get out of here!" Shippo whispered urgently, pulling lightly on Kouji's ponytail. "Inu-Yasha an' Kagome coulda gotten hurt, and we have to get Kohaku somewhere safe, an' your arm…"

"I _know_." Kouji reached back with his good hand and seized the child by the collar, pulling him around and away from his hair. "Just let me _think_ a moment."

Shippo fell silent, plopping down into Kouji's lap, but took care to avoid the wounded arm. Kouji sighed, adjusting his sling and leaned back against the rocks. He closed his eyes against the gleaming beams of light shifting in from the ceiling. Digging out of the rocks would be suicide, just begging for another collapse, but with his arm the way it was there was no way to climb out. They could send Shippo on his own, but what good would that do if Inu-Yasha and Kagome were stuck as well. And what if whatever caused that earthquake - since it was, most certainly, _not_ a natural occurrence - was still there? Shippo was just a kid, he couldn't handle something like that on his own, even with his particular level of fox magic behind him…

Fox…Magic…

Kouji opened his eyes and looked up at the hole in the ceiling. A light smirk flitted across his face. "Hey, Shippo? I've got an idea…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Sango? Can I ask you something?"

The demon hunter turned her head back just enough that she could see Sora over her right shoulder. "Hm?"

"Have you guys… all been traveling together a long time?" Sora shifted uncomfortably as he asked his question, not meeting her gaze.

A light smiled flickered across Sango's face as she thought of it. "I'd say so. A while, at least."

"Do you guys…" Another awkward shift. "Do you ever fight?"

Another smile, this time in understanding. "You're thinking about Minamoto-kun, aren't you?"

"W-What? No, of course not!"

"I see…" The woman was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "Actually, to tell the truth, we fight all the time."

Sora seemed very surprised. "Really?"

"Oh, yes." Sango's voice held a bit of a laugh in it. "We're all very different, and it clashes sometimes. Inu-Yasha likes to pick fights with everyone, and Miroku can be a perverted creep sometimes, and it's rare for all of us to agree on exactly what to do. But we all have the same mission, the same means to different ends, and that cause lets us work together despite all of our troubles and differences. We need each other."

Sora thought about this for a while, contemplating the means to separate ends before deciding that he didn't want to think of his own problems now. "What's your goal, Sango?"

This time, it was the demon hunter who was quiet, for so long that Sora was afraid he'd said something horrible.

"My brother."

The sudden voice took Sora by surprise. "Huh?"

"I'm looking for my younger brother, Kohaku." Sango's voice was carefully controlled, reigning in her emotions. "Naraku destroyed our family and took Kohaku away. I can't stop traveling until Kohaku is able to come home with me, and he won't be able to do that until we defeat Naraku."

"I… I see…"

Sora bit his lip and focused on the soft cream-and-white fur beneath his hands. His mind was stewing over the woman's words, hearing the constant echo's of Kouji's persisting mantra:

"_I have to find my brother…"_

"Look!"

Sora jerked out of his stupor so suddenly that he nearly fell from Kirara's back. "What? What is it?"

"Down there!" Sango pointed into the depths of a relatively small chasm lodged between two outcrops of rock. There was a streak of white cutting down the wall of the right side - ice and snow. "It's him!"

"It's gotta be!" Sora agreed eagerly. "We need to get down there!"

Sango nodded sharply. "You got it. Hold on!"

Sora did so, just in time, as Kirara suddenly dropped to the side and dove into the chasm without even taking time to draw a breath.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Shippo! Minamoto-kun!"

Kagome's voice sank into the rock and vanished as though it had been absorbed by a sponge. It had happened before, several times before, and it would happen again as she called desperately for her friends. "Minamoto-kun! Answer me, please! Shippo! Minamoto!"

"Kagome, calm down!"

Inu-Yasha seized the girl by the shoulder, pulling her away from the wall of rock. "Get a hold of yourself! You're not helping anything!"

"But… But…" Kagome looked longingly towards the plugged-up cave. "Minamoto-kun… Shippo…"

"Relax. We'll get them out of there, but _you_ have to stay _calm_." The half-demon's nose wrinkled in disgust, his face forming a familiar sneer of hatred that only ruined his face because of one creature. "He's here…"

Kagome looked up at him, recognizing the glare and the tone. Her eyes widened, then narrowed with a burning sense of fury. "You mean that… Naraku is…"

"Right here."

The cold voice sent an icy chill rippling down Kagome's spine, which made her instincts kick in just in time to jump backwards as the pelt and mask of a baboon leapt from the bushes that framed the edge of the valley.

Inu-Yasha shoved in front of her, pulling the Tetsuiga from its sheath in one swift motion. "Naraku, you're mine!"

The huge Fang came down, missing the demon but shredding the fur which he hid behind. The white fur fell away to reveal a royal purple hakama decorated with refined stitches and patterns. The mask remained on even as he landed on top of the rocks.

Naraku straightened where he stood, chuckling in a deep, extraordinarily haunting tone that seemed to change and morph even as he spoke. "Typical, Inu-Yasha. Always unable to control your temper."

A thin, pale hand rose to grip the hard wooden face of the mask, pulling it away easily, revealing Naraku's assumed human façade. His hair was long and black, falling to his waist in elegant curls. His eyes were thin and cold, a dark brown that was nearly black and held no sheen. His face was that of a handsome young noble lord, the person whom he had murdered and consumed in order to take his place, but the once-attractive features were now shallow and gaunt due to the pull of the demon's physical nature.

Inu-Yasha snarled, gripping the hilt of the Tetsuiga with both hands. "It's not a puppet this time, the smell's too strong. You're out of your lair, Naraku. What's the occasion?"

"Not an occasion." Naraku sniffed, turning away. "Just an… event… too important to leave in the bungling hands of others."

"Don't turn your back on me!" Inu-Yasha raged, lunging forward, but the wall exploded before the attack could reach.

Naraku had only to push his hand into one of the rocks to blow the wall apart, exploding and imploding at the same time. Dozens of boulders exploded outward on the burst of dark psychic energy, creating the need for Inu-Yasha to drop back or be crushed. The rest of the rocks crushed inward, slamming into pebbles against the interior of the cave, merging with the walls so completely that they vanished.

Kagome's voice rose into a cry of horror. "Minamoto-kun! Shippo!"

Naraku just chuckled. "A far more effective means to an end." He muttered cryptically, stretching out both hands as though accepting alms on the street. "Now, come to me, immortal hearts. Return to the darkness from wince you sprung."

He waited, obviously expecting some sort of reaction. But nothing happened.

For the first time, Naraku's face twisted in disbelief that something had not gone according to his plan. "What…?"

_PING!_

An arrow charged with spiritual white magic was fired at Naraku from behind him, the aim off just enough that it shot past him, leaving a sharp gash on his cheek. The demon hissed, turning around sharply. "Girl…"

"Haven't you done enough?" Kagome raged, blinking away light tears as she notched an arrow into her bow again. "How many people do you have to kill before you're satisfied, Naraku?"

The demon smirked again, his minor wound clearing itself up without a mark. "As many as it takes, human."

"Then it looks like you've still got a few left."

Another grimace of disbelief from Naraku, and Kagome's eyes lit up. "Minamoto-kun!"

Kouji was smirking as he came down from the peak of the cliff, though no amount of self-confidence could ever hope to make up for the ridiculousness of his current situation. At the moment, he was dangling by one arm, the other resting swollen and useless in his makeshift sling, his good hand holding tightly to Kohaku's limp, and also non-functional, arm.

The unconscious demon hunter was still all but lifeless - the purple-black orb glowing in his chest as always - his other wrist was being held in both hands by Shippo. The fox in question had become a medium-sized pink balloon, just big enough to float the pair out through the cave's open roof.

Inu-Yasha smirked, showing his fangs. "I knew you guys wouldn't die that easily."

Kouji touched down first, both feet setting gently into the ground, and used his good arm to lead Kohaku down as well. His cargo safely delivered, Shippo let his magic dissolve and popped back into his normal self to leap into Kagome's arms.

The girl laughed and hugged the little demon. "Shippo, I was worried about you!"

"We got out right before Naraku came!" Shippo perked brightly, though he looked nervous. "If Minamoto-kun hadn't thought of this, we would've been crushed!"

Kagome turned towards the boy with a soft smile. "Thank you, Minamoto-kun."

"We're not out of the woods yet." Kouji muttered, drawing the Sager with one hand and activating it.

Shippo grinned at Kagome. "I think that's his way of saying, 'you're welcome.'"

"I figured," the girl smiled, glancing up at the back of a certain white-haired figure. "He's just like somebody else I know."

Inu-Yasha, completely focused on his battle and his opponent, didn't notice her words. He snarled. "What's the matter, Naraku? You scared of a couple of kids?"

Kouji scowled in resentment. "Who're you calling 'kid'?"

For a moment, Naraku's expression was unreadable. Then his cold, conniving smirk slid right back into place as though nothing had happened. "There is no reason for me to fear, Inu-Yasha. Everything has fallen into place exactly as it should be."

"What the hell do you…?"

"Kohaku!"

Inu-Yasha's and Kouji's first instincts to Kagome's cry were to twist around and look for the boy in question. Kohaku was still lying unconscious where Shippo had left him, but now he was in a much more violent state. He was screaming in pain, scratching at the cloth and skin around the orb, flailing across the ground. Kagome was beside him, her face revealing the panic that her body would not. She was trying to hold him down, pull his hands from his chest, but she was having no luck whatsoever.

Kouji growled, gripping his hand into a fist around the Sager. "_He_'s doing this."

"Naraku." Inu-Yasha hissed, shifting the Tetsuiga into both hands. "I've had enough!"

He sprung forward, lifting the blade above his head. This time, the attack was absolutely loaded with power and accuracy and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that this attack would connect, and that it would be devastating…

At least, there was no doubt until Inu-Yasha hit something about two feet from Naraku's head, something that gleamed a hard kind of shiny, translucent purple. For a split second, the Tetsuiga and this strange bubble held each other at bay, then Inu-Yasha's muscles lost their tension and he jerked away, sliding three feet after he hit the ground again. "Dammit!"

"It's a barrier!" Shippo exclaimed.

"Obviously." Kouji scowled, looking absolutely furious.

Kagome frowned and glared. "That coward."

"Feh." Inu-Yasha spat to the side. "I'll get through it soon enough. Kagome, you take care of Kohaku, you got it?"

"Right." The girl nodded sharply. "Be careful!"

Inu-Yasha smirked as he turned back, shifting his grip. "Right. Now I'll just use the Wind Scar and…"

Kouji's hand snapped out, catching the half-demon by the shoulder. Inu-Yasha twisted, ready to take the boy's head off, but stopped when he got a good look at his face.

Kouji's eyes were narrowed into a cold, straight-on glare. His hands were shaking lightly, even the one in the sling, and his body was tense with the memories of red lightening and darkness…

"That barrier," he hissed coldly, directing his words to Naraku. "Are you the only one who creates barriers like that?"

Naraku lifted an eyebrow and smirked. "There is no other in all of the worlds."

Kouji's face twisted into one of anger, gritting his teeth hard. "Then it was _you_."

Without warning, he lunged with Sager bared. He hit the barrier, as was only to be expected, but everyone was surprised when the purple bubble didn't stop the glowing blade - rather, the Sager actually cut Naraku's force field, leaving a deep gash in the smooth surface.

"How the…?" Naraku twisted and glared at Kouji. "You miserable little…"

Kouji somehow managed to match the demon glare for glare, though the young swordsman's eyes were filled with exponentially more fury.

"No other in the Worlds, huh?" He growled in a lupine manner. He turned slowly, aiming the Sager at Naraku's chest. "Where is he?"

Naraku said nothing, but Kagome faltered a bit. "Minamoto-kun…"

"What did you do with him?" Kouji demanded from the demon, as though he hadn't heard the girl's words. "Where did you take him? If he's been hurt…"

Naraku lifted an eyebrow, though the tiniest bit of his confidence was shaken by the lasting hole in his barrier. "What are you babbling about, boy? Has your mind come unhinged?"

"Don't play dumb!" Kouji snapped, and for a split second he almost seemed to have fangs. "This barrier… I'd know it anywhere. You were the one who brought the Heartless to Shibuya. This barrier kept me from helping him. From helping my _brother_…" He snarled and the Sager seemed to glow brighter, howling ever louder in response to his anger. "What did you do to him?"

Naraku scowled. "You are delusional, child. I have done no such thing."

"Quit _lying_!"

"Minamoto!" Inu-Yasha caught the boy in the chest with his arm, causing a stab of pain to shoot up Kouji's broken arm. The half-demon's grip was relatively gentle - it was obvious that he had no wish to actually hurt the younger boy - but firm enough that Kouji couldn't get away. "Calm down. This is exactly Naraku's style. He'll mess with your head and manipulate your feelings until he gets you where he wants you."

Kouji grit his teeth, his body tense. "He took my brother."

"Yeah, I know, it's always like that. But we can't get at him unless…"

"I can."

Inu-Yasha did a sharp double-take. "What did you say?"

"I'll get through." Kouji gripped the Sager, shifting his hand to rest on top of the hilt. "Just watch me."

He lifted the blade straight up, keeping his arm perfectly straight, moving only the joint at his shoulder. His breathing slowed rhythmically as a strange power pulsed through his body with every heartbeat. A light aura, shifting stealthily between blue-white and green-white, appeared around him like an airy blanket. The familiar howl of the Sager's inborn spirit filled his ears and a surge of energy told his mind exactly what he needed to do. The power burst outward in a singular surge of light and instantly he knew that attack's name.

"_Frozen Hunter!"_

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

A burst of light shot into the air, coming to a vibrant peak over the edge and exploding, filling the mountain air with light.

Sora, who at that precise moment had been following the path of the little boy on the board to the extent of leaning far over off of Kirara's back, got the full force of the blast right in the face.

"GAHK!"

The exclamation burst out of the boy in his moment of surprise, which was the exact moment he moved to cover his eyes with his hands. Unfortunately, this meant that he had released his grip. Naturally, he promptly fell off.

"Sora!" Sango exclaimed, twisting to follow him, but she knew they would never catch up.

The Keyblade Master fell, tumbling head-over-heels. He couldn't control his fall enough to switch into a Glide, and his senses were so disoriented that all he could think of was apologizing…

A hand, smaller than his own, reached out and grabbed him around the wrist. Sora forced his eyes open, blinking past the aftereffects of the light to find the young 'ice demon' gripping his hand, the force of the board's power keeping them alive.

Sora marveled just a moment, then his face spread into a grin. "You saved me."

"I don't want anyone else to get hurt." The boy whispered.

Sora looked around him, getting his bearings. He was perhaps fifty feet in the air and descending, with Sango and Kirara following behind them in concern. The path of the board was very distinct - it was aiming directly towards the now-fading light.

"Where're we heading?"

"I don't know." The boy looked as though he was ready to cry, but holding back from doing so very bravely. "It won't stop. I've tried. It's never gone this far out before. I think it's looking for something."

Sora's eyes moved down to the suddenly calm, yet forcefully moving, piece of green wood. "The board?"

"Uh-huh/" The boy's grip tightened, and there was a violent jerk as the board bobbed to the side. "I think we're getting closer. I can't hold on much longer."

The Keyblade Master sensed the boy's panic and grinned lightly to console him. "Hey, don't worry. I can get down on my own."

"You…" The boy looked shocked. "You _can_?"

"You bet." Sora gripped a bit tighter to comfort the kid. "I've got some awesome tricks up my sleeve, just you watch. And don't worry - we'll figure out how to get this thing under control."

Once again, the boy looked uncertain. "Well… if you're sure."

"Sure I'm sure." Sora looked down at his feet, judging the distance and making note of the obstacles on the way down. There were a couple of figures on the ground, but they were too far away for him to see clearly.

Nevertheless, he had a good feeling, so a smile spread over the Keyblade Master's face, and he let go of the boy's hand.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Holy crap."

Inu-Yasha's comment was echoed, though not exactly in those exact words, in the eyes and mind of Kagome, Shippo and even, to an extent, the furious Naraku, and all of them with good reason.

The moment that Kouji's attack - which looked like a large blue-white wolf running away from a blizzard of light - had connected with Naraku's barrier, the translucent purple bubble had shattered. Its shards fell to the ground piece-by-piece and vanished the moment they hit solid matter. Within moments, it was like the barrier had never been there at all.

"Amazing!" Shippo gushed, his blue eyes sparkling in admiration. "Minamoto-kun is so strong!"

"No kidding," Kagome's voice was awed, but she had a definite smile on her face. Kohaku groaned miserably, drawing the girl's attention back to mopping the sweat from his brow.

Kouji took a deep, measured breath, returning his heartbeat and body tension to normal as he lowered his sword. He came out of whatever trance he had slipped into, glancing at Inu-Yasha. "_Now_ can you get him?"

"Hell, yeah," Inu-Yasha grinned, hiking the Tetsuiga into his favorite stance and facing their enemy. "Your time has come, Naraku! Taste my _Tetsuiga_!"

The huge fang came down, filled with power. Naraku moved, purple miasma sprouting from beneath his clothes. Despite the smokescreen, the blade made contact, and Naraku reappeared half-concealed in the depths of the shadows holding his right arm lightly.

Kagome frowned as she watched the scene, pulling her hand a bit closer to her chest. "Something's wrong here."

"What?" Shippo asked.

Kouji tensed as well, the same cold chill running up his spine as well. Unfortunately, that was exactly the moment that another chill rolled up his entire body - the freezing burn of actual ice.

It was only a light frost, which sprinkled over his entire body in a layer about a millimeter thick, sticking to his hair and clothes and melting on his warm skin just enough to dribble down the back of his neck, but it was enough. He craned his head up and jumped back, watching the forest-green board trail overhead, then recognized the little boy whose feet were attached to the out-of-control plank. "Tomoki…?"

"Kouji?" The voice wasn't Tomoki's, it was Sora's, gliding down out of the sky with controlled speed.

The boy on the board twisted around, his Item - because that's what it had to be, Kouji would recognize Kumamon's signature means of transportation anywhere - doing the same for its own inexplicable reasons. "Kouji?"

"Minamoto, back me up over here!" Inu-Yasha shouted slashing his way through trees and brush to get to the ever-dodging, ever-moving Naraku.

"Hold on!" Kouji called, not to the half-demon but to Tomoki. He could sense his friend's fear, the terror, and he hated it. "I'll be right there! Tomoki, just hold on!"

"You know him?" Sora exclaimed.

Tomoki had turned to get a better look at his friend, to make sure that it really was who he thought it was, and suddenly let out a strangled cry. "Oh, Kouji, look out!"

For once, Sora thought faster than Kouji and lunged, pushing the swordsman out of the way of the stalagmite-like spike of ice that shot from the base of the board. Its sharp tip grazed Sora's back, leaving a gash in his clothes and skin, as well as imbedding small chunks of ice into his shoulders.

The Keyblade Master hissed in pain, realizing belatedly that Kouji was doing the same, though for a different reason. The young swordsman gripped his left arm tightly, his face contorted in agony. "Kouji? What happened to your…"

"Get _off_!" Kouji snapped, and yanked his arm from the other boy's grasp with another light cry. The wrist was still badly swollen and really needed to be set - the hand attached was turning vaguely purple.

Sora's eyes widened sharply, but Kouji paid him no mind, shooting back to his feet in a second. "Tomoki!"

"Kohaku!" Sango's voice rang out as Kirara touched down. The demon-slayer rushed forward and fell to the ground at her brother's side, reaching for the limp form. "Kohaku! Kohaku! Oh, Kohaku, please say something!"

For the first time, Kohaku turned his head on his own to look at her with heavy-lidded eyes. "Who…?"

"Kohaku, it's me!" Sango begged, in the tone of one who has tried the same thing again and again without fortune but refuses to give up. "Please, you have to remember!"

"Damn you!" Inu-Yasha raged, still slashing away at the demon he battled. "Damn you, Naraku! Hold _still_!"

Sora twisted in surprise at the now familiar name. "_That's_ Naraku?"

"Tomoki, calm _down_!" Kouji yelled, knocking away one of the blades of ice constantly being hurled in his direction. "Let me help you!"

"I _can't_!" The boy cried, his voice on the verge of a controlled wail. "I can't control it anymore!"

For a split moment, Kagome pulled her eyes away from Sango and Kohaku to turn to the battle around them. First, she looked to Inu-Yasha and Naraku - the demon was summoning up tendrils of a thick, wood-like substance from the folds of his cloth to block Inu-Yasha's blows, moving so rapidly that the half-demon could not get a lock on the Wind Scar. Then her eyes traced to the battle between Kouji and the 'possessed' board holding his friend hostage, catching sight of a glint of white…

Her eyes widened sharply, her voice rising to a shout. "Minamoto-kun, there's a shard!"

"What?" Kouji twisted.

"A shard, there's a jewel shard in the board!" Kagome shouted, narrowing her eyes to focus on the moving target. "It's directly between the boots, there on the bottom! Can you see it?"

"No." Kouji grit his teeth, loosening his grip just enough to slip the Sager to the end of its grip. "But I will."

He lunged, his attack arm dropping into a loose underhand. As he leapt towards the board, he swept the blade upward, shouting as he did. "Tomoki, brace yourself!"

The boy's eyes widened in surprise just before the light-blade collided with his Item. For a moment, the two weapons seemed to be having a battle between themselves, blue, green and white light flashing from their point of connection, before exploding in a burst of cold air. The Board and the boy attached to it were thrown back by the force, as were the Sager and its owner. Tomoki lost his momentum first, hitting the ground and sliding until he crashed against a tree, while Kouji rolled to his feet the moment he hit the ground, dropping the Sager and clutching his broken arm close.

The only thing left where they had been before was a small piece of white rock, which fell to the ground.

Kouji smirked lightly. "Got it," he sighed, reaching for the Shard, but before he could get it, he was distracted by an annoying buzzing.

A huge, black-and-yellow bug swooped down over his head and snatched the Shard up in its claws. Kouji twisted after it, swearing under his breath. "Hey…!"

Naraku, still treating his battle with Inu-Yasha as nothing more than a game, smiled coldly as the bug deposited the Shard into his hand.

Inu-Yasha growled a bit, pausing his attack for just a moment. "What the hell?"

"The purpose has been served," Naraku grinned, the silvery shard disappearing into his hand, "so I'll be taking this back now."

"Purpose…?" Sora's eyes narrowed and he gripped the Keyblade in anger. "So you're the reason. You're why that kid…"

"Tomoki…" Kouji gasped a bit, wincing as his arm was jarred and he pushed to his feet, and stumbled over to help his not-quite-conscious but recovering young friend.

The demon smirked. "A simple distraction."

"Why you…" Sora's grip started to shake, his blue eyes burning with cold rage, and he lunged forward. "I'll show you!"

"Kohaku!"

The hero slid to a stop at Sango's worried cry. Kohaku's… orb… had suddenly gotten bigger for some reason, the flame raging wildly as though someone had added an entire forest's worth of clippings. The swirling fire had extended well past the orb and was now licking at the boy's arms and legs.

"Kohaku! Kohaku!" Sango shouted again and again. "How do I stop this? Tell me, Kohaku!"

"Damn you, Naraku!" Inu-Yasha swore again, picking up his sword. "What did you do to that kid?"

An icy smile painted Naraku's face. "Nothing that you should concern yourself with."

"Bastard!"

"Kohaku, say something!" Sango begged, leaning down to put her forehead against her brother's. "Let me help you, Kohaku, please! It's me, Sango! Your sister!"

Kohaku groaned, opening his eyes a bit more. There was a spark of recognition in their darkened depths. "Sister… Sango…"

And then the orb simply popped.

The darkness seemed to fold outward, curling in on itself and rolling up like a punctured balloon. From the center of the orb rose a gleaming, purple and red shape that shown iridescently in the light. It rose up into the air, rotating, as Kohaku's eyes grew blank, shadowed.

Kouji grit his teeth. "That's his…"

"His heart!" Sora gasped.

"Kohaku? Kohaku!" Sango cried, her head snapping up. "Naraku, you bastard."

The demon's face had spread into an even more wild and exuberantly devastating expression. "That's it!" He lunged from the trees, hands outstretched. "The lock's been undone. It's mine!"

Sora moved quickly to cut him off and brought the Keyblade down. Naraku blocked it with another thick brown trunk, but to do so he had to stop, jumping back.

The Keyblade Master twisted with the block, sliding behind it. "Inu-Yasha!"

"Oh, yeah!" The half-demon brought his blade down. "Got you now, Naraku! _Wind Scar!_"

The Tetsuiga hit the ground and shattered it, jagged forks of light similar to lightening braking from the heart of the blade. Naraku was caught from behind, the force of the blow breaking even his unnaturally tough, guarded skin and spewing huge clouds of putrid purple miasma into the air. Inu-Yasha pulled back, covering his nose with the sleeve of his fire-rat hakama, grabbing Sora by the hood and practically tossing the boy clear.

Sora hit the ground and rolled, flipping back onto his knees to gaze into the smoke. "Where is he? Did you get him?"

A chilling laugh cut through the smog and answered Sora's question. A fork of wind cut through the miasma, revealing Naraku, wounded but alive and laughing his head off.

"It's too late." The demon cackled, his face twisting and morphing as though made from melted wax. "There's no stopping it now. The Sixth Heart is ours."

"What the hell are you blathering about?" Inu-Yasha raged, lifting the Tetsuiga. "I'll show you who's…"

"Oh!"

Kagome's cry of surprise distracted the half-demon, and his step faltered to turn towards her. She was staring, looking wildly for her bow and arrows, as a swirl of darkness formed in the air just above Sango, Kohaku and herself. From the center of the swirl appeared a long, thin, pale arm wrapped in midnight blue cloth appeared - no body attached, that they could see - to stretch out for the floating purple heart.

Sora realized what was happening first, hiking up the Keyblade and charging forward. "No! Stop!"

"Sora!" Kouji shouted in warning, bringing his attention to the forking, blade-like spike of root shooting towards him from Naraku's core…

Before he could think to react, Sango appeared in front of him, bearing the Hiraikotsu. She brought it down hard, shattering the attacking vine, and braced herself behind it to protect both Sora and herself.

At the same moment, Inu-Yasha lunged at Naraku, ready to slash the wretched creature to pieces, but before he could reach him, the miasma sprung up again. Naraku vanished into the trees, chuckling as he did. "Until next time, Inu-Yasha."

"Damn you!" Inu-Yasha shouted, slashing wildly. "Naraku, you coward! Fight me! Naraku!"

Kouji staggered to his feet as well, charging forward. "Get back here! You bastard, tell me -"

"Kouji…" Tomoki groaned weakly, starting to regain consciousness and reaching out to grasp the older boy's sleeve with both of his hand. "Kouji… help."

The swordsman hesitated out of concern and lost his chance. **Naraku** disappeared into the woods completely, his laugh echoing behind him.

"Dammit!" Inu-Yasha cursed loudly, leaping after him and slashing through the trees in an attempt to reach his already escaped prey. "Naraku, you coward! Come back and fight me! Naraku!"

Kagome twisted back, notching **her** bow and pulling it taunt all in one motion. She aimed it straight up, gritting her teeth as she struggled to just barely miss the Heart, not wanting to damage it. "Please hit…"

She fired the arrow. It flew straight and true, but the aim was just enough off that the mark was missed. The arrow slashed all the way up the arm, tearing skin and cloth, but the hand paid no mind. It wrapped around the Heart and dragged it into the shadows, vanishing as soon as it was through.

Naraku's laugh continued to echo through the valley long after the figures remaining there had fallen silent.

_**TBC…**_

Jeez… it's been way too long since I've watched Inu-Yasha… so if Naraku's off, sorry. It won't happen again. He's going off to recover, and he won't be back for this particular story. Think of it as something similar to how Hades disappeared in KH.

Sorry updates have been taking so long, everybody. You know how life gets. I'm trying to do everything at once, and it's getting hectic. Next on the writing schedual is a chapter of Balance (which, unfortunately, is going slowly - I'm usually more inspired than this on that story) and then I'll be working on this one again. These two are my at-school projects, though, at this rate, I might upgrade Balance to a computer-only work and only work on this at school. Who knows? I'll work it all out eventually...Thank you for holding on through all of my stupid little life problems.


	20. Chapter 19: Information

**Edit:** Whoopsie! I was so excited about posting this chapter that I totally forgot to tell people about the awesome picture that Stephanie-san drew me! The link is here: http:// www . deviant art .com/ deviation/ 50552230/

Just copy, paste and remove the spaces. Warnings, though: It's based on the companion fic, Inside/Outside, which means that it's pretty openly Kouichi x Riku shonen-ai, really adorable shonen-ai. So, if that doesn't float your boat, don't look. If you do, leave a comment! Stephanie-san worked hard on it, after all!

And, on that note - if one more person reviews this story or its companion saying that they "don't really like Boy x Boy or Girl x Girl love" I'm going to loose my temper and send that person a large number of very nasty e-mails. I like it. You don't. Don't read if you don't like and we'll both be happy.

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Inu-Yasha is copyright to VIZ and Rumiko Takahashi-sensei, and therefore, is not mine either. _

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 19: Information**

"Okay, ready?"

Kouji nodded, but didn't say anything because of the folded piece of cloth that rested over his tongue. He bit down on the wad lightly as Kagome checked the break of his wrist one last time, making sure that it was lined up straight.

"All right, then. On three. One…Two..."

_SNAP_.

Stars danced in front of Kouji's eyes and his jaw clamped down on the cushion hard. The curled scarf acted as a protection, keeping him from biting down on his tongue, a pain deterrents and a gag, muffling the scream of pain that tore from his throat. The shock of the setting bone lasted only a few seconds - it faded away almost instantly afterwards, returning to a dull numbness from his wrist to his elbow.

"Good. Feels like it's in place." Kagome muttered, gently feeling the edge of the bone, prompting another wince. "Hand me one of those sticks now, Shippo."

"Okay!" Shippo hopped up, careful to make sure that he didn't bump the wounded limb, and handed her a long, straight stick. The girl placed it along the path of Kouji's bone, making sure that she didn't hurt him any more than necessary, and began to gently set the splint.

Miroku, seated on a cushion at the far right of the village leader's large tatama-mat room, clicked his tongue in admiration. "You certainly come from tough stock, Minamoto-kun. It took an entire mountain just to break your arm. I bet your father is very proud."

Kouji glared at the monk in disgust, but refrained from attempting to speak through the cloth. Kagome's spare school neckerchief had been basically shredded thanks to a strong jaw and a lot of pain, but it still served to prevent him from conducting himself with any sort of dignity.

Miroku got the message anyway and immediately backed off. Next to him, nursing a large lump on his head (from the fact that they had fallen into the crevice, rather than actually climbing down) was Goofy, who hyuck'ed brightly at the scene. "But, boy, it sure is good to have everybody back together again, huh?"

Kouji scowled some more and Sora winced. There was an awkward silence as Kagome carefully wrapped Kouji's splinted arm in bandages. Even Donald was pensive and quiet, his wing-like arms crossed sourly over his chest, perhaps feeling the slightest bit of guilt for his part in the fight. Splitting up the group had not been one of their better strategies, with Kouji's broken arm and Sango's unconscious brother as testament to that.

But, then again, there was Tomoki, free from the powers of the corrupted Shikon Jewel and able to move of his own accord for the first time in a month. He'd been so happy to see his friend again that it had taken him quite a while to register their somber mood. Currently, he was curled up in the corner, nibbling a piece of bread calmly and keeping his distance from the group, at least until Kouji was in a better mood to get close to.

Sora sighed, breaking the silence, which was getting on his nerves. He slid a bit nearer to his traveling companion as Kagome tied off the splint. "Hey, Kouji?"

"What?" Kouji spat out the cloth, but sourly refused to look at the Keyblade Master.

Sora took a deep breath, steadying himself, and bit his tongue once before he got the words out. "I'm… I'm sorry."

Kouji still didn't say anything, so Sora kept going. "I'm really sorry about what I said before. Silver Fang… Silver Fang wasn't your fault, and I was a jerk for bringing it up. So… I'm sorry."

There was another uneasy pause, then Kouji sighed, glancing away from Sora. "Yeah… Me too."

Sora had to grin, just a little bit. Riku had never been able to say the word 'sorry' either, but that didn't mean that he didn't mean it.

With excellent balance, Kouji pulled himself off the ground without jarring his arm. He thanked Kagome again for her work and crossed the room to Tomoki.

The younger boy looked up as his friend knelt beside him. "Hey, Kouji."

"Hey." The swordsman smiled and ruffled the other's hair a bit in a familiar manner. "How're you feeling, kid?"

"Okay," Tomoki fiddled with his bread, looking down at his feet sadly. "I'm sorry."

Kouji lifted an eyebrow. "For what?"

"He… Naraku… got away because of me." Tomoki dropped his head again, hiding behind his bangs. "He hurt you and he got away because I couldn't help myself… I'm sorry."

"Don't be like that," Kagome protested, looking up from her first aid kit. "It isn't your fault."

"Yeah!" Shippo hopped up on Tomoki's knee to get a closer look at the boy. "It's all Naraku's fault! He's the one who does everything! _He_ put that thing in your board, an' he hurt Kohaku and Minamoto-kun, too! He's the one who does everything!"

At the mention of the now-Heartless young demon slayer, eyes drifted to the door leading to the adjoining room. Kohaku was there, breathing, but unable to do much else, with Sango constantly at his side. He hadn't moved since Naraku's spell had removed his heart, not even so much as an eyelash.

Tomoki sighed lightly, looking up at Kouji. "Do you really think Naraku knew something bout Kouichi? About Shibuya?"

"I think he knew more than he was saying," Kouji muttered, his expression distant at the mention of his brother's name. "But it's too late to find out now."

"Feh," Inu-Yasha snorted in annoyance, leaning back against the wall. "We can hunt 'im out if it's that important to yeh."

Kouji looked at the ground, his expression blank. "No. It isn't."

Inu-Yasha raised a curious eyebrow, as did many in the room. Miroku leaned forward seriously. "Are you certain, Minamoto-kun?"

"Yeah." Kouji lifted his head, eyes narrowed seriously. "Ni-san's not here. I can feel it. And as long as we have a chance to get away without a huge fight, I think that we should. There's something… not right in the Worlds."

Donald scowled, crossing his wings. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Goofy hyuck'ed. "He means something's been thrown off in the world border."

"Order!"

"Hm…" Sora put a hand to his lips quietly and considered this a moment. "I have to admit… There's definitely something weird going on. With the Heartless invading everywhere, and all of this stuff popping up and following us around…"

"Um, excuse me?"

The group looked up as a young woman in a kimono entered, bowing politely. She was one of the house servants, the one that had been put in charge of seeing to their needs as guests, and she looked rather worried.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your rest, friends, but there is something very strange going on in the courtyard…"

"Strange like what?" Kagome asked, climbing to her feet quickly. Miroku, Kouji and Inu-Yasha were right behind, expecting an attack.

"Well…" The girl hesitated a bit, shifting from one foot to the other as though she did not know exactly what to say. "The… The house shrine, there's something odd about it, miss. Came open all on its own, it did, an' there's something' a swirlin' in there."

Inu-Yasha growled a bit in a protective manner and took off out the door. Kouji followed at his heels, with Miroku, Donald and Sora, while Kagome stayed behind to comfort the panicking girl.

The courtyard was full of servants and tenants, all crowded around the little rock garden that surrounded the small red shrine. The half-demon snarled, shoving his way through the crowd without actually hurting anyone. "Out of my way!"

He finally made it to the shrine, then stopped and stared at it in annoyance.

The doors were wide open, showing all the way to the back, which wasn't right. The shrine should have held ancient relics or seals, something that would warrant being locked in a scared place, but this shrine was completely empty. In fact, there was even a hole in the very back, vast and empty…

It was a Keyhole.

Kouji recognized it instantly, hovering over Inu-Yasha's shoulder even as the half-demon rocked back in surprise. "What the hell is that?"

"Don't bother." Kouji muttered, and twisted back to grab Sora, dragging the Keyblade Master forward.

"H-Hey! What're you…?" Sora stumbled to a stop and stared. "The Keyhole!"

"The what?" Inu-Yasha snapped, twisting around.

Miroku chuckled lightly. "It sounds as though you know what you're doing."

"Well, yeah…" Sora said awkwardly. "But we…"

"Look," Kouji said, and pointed.

From the depths of the Keyhole, a glimmer of light began to shine. The spectators backed away in fear, but Sora was ready. He lifted the Keyblade, carefully lining it up with the Keyhole's center core. A beam of light burst from the end of the blade, delving deep into the depths of the Darkness and locking the door.

The Keyhole faded away with a content noise, returning the sacred items to the shrine before it vanished completely. For a moment, there was complete silence. Then, Inu-Yasha growled. "What the hell was that?"

"It means that you have to go now, doesn't it?"

Sora and Kouji both turned at Kagome's soft words, and both felt guilty because of the look on her face. Sora rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Yeah… I'm afraid we do."

"You're not just leaving me here, are you?" Tomoki squeaked, sounding terrified. After everything that had happened, his nerves were totally shot.

Kouji just chuckled and pat his friend's head. "Of course we aren't."

"Yeah," Sora grinned and clapped the smaller boy on the shoulder. "It'll be a little crowded on the way, but we'll take you back to Disney Castle. Queen Minnie and Daisy will take care of you, no problem."

Tomoki smiled broadly and could no longer hold back. He threw his arms around Kouji's waist, not caring to notice the instinctive shudder that ran up the older boy's body.

Sora was just starting to laugh at the scene when a new voice interrupted. "Sora!"

The Keyblade Master turned, and his eyes widened a bit when he saw who was standing at the door. "Sango?"

The demon slayer looked at him with red, puffy eyes, genuinely strained from crying. She was clutching Kohaku's weapon, which had been lightly cracked, close to her chest.

"You're going after them, aren't you?" She asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. "The ones who were working with Naraku."

Sora grit his teeth and gripped the Keyblade at the villain's name. "Yeah, we are."

"Then I want to go with you."

Sora winced - he hated it when people of other worlds asked for that. He could understand why they would want to do something like that, but…

"We can't do that, Sango. I'm sorry."

Anger flashed across the woman's face, but it faded quickly as she looked into the boy's genuinely sorry eyes. He had his reason, she could see - there was some very, very important reason that she couldn't go as well. Her face softened and she sighed, closing her eyes for just a moment. "In that case… I want you to promise me something."

Sora looked up, somewhat hesitant. "What?"

"Please, Sora… Promise me…" Sango gripped her brother's tool more tightly with her own determination. "Promise me that you'll find a way to bring my brother's heart back!"

Sora was quiet for a while, as were Kouji, Donald, Goofy and Tomoki, while the last light murmurings of the gathered crowd faded to a near whisper. Then a slight grin spread across the Keyblade Master's face.

"Don't worry." He said confidently. "We'll definitely do it. _Definitely_!"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kairi stared out at the crystal blue water, breathing in the warm saltiness of the ocean as the tide began to come in. The sun was rising into the sky, coming to just the right point that the water glimmered with white and yellow light, giving it the image of perfect blue glass. Around her neck, the blue crystal winked back at the sea in a coy, teasing manner.

Kairi smiled to herself and raised her eyes to just about the surface of the water, about twenty feet out and four in the air. Izumi was there, hovering on the force of the wind, her long hair bound back into a thick braid to keep it reasonably workable, tied with a thick purple ribbon. The blue-purple ring around her ankle was glowing of its own accord, and there was a confident, playful smirk on her lips.

Kairi gave her friend one last, bright expression, then focused her mind on the jewel and on the sea as it splashed against her feet. She touched the gem, feeling the power coursing through her body, the ebb and flow of the tides and the inherent power that rested within it. The energy rushed through her, straight to her heart, and as it rose to its peak, she felt ready to burst. Just seconds before the power exploded, she pushed it outward and summoned the water to her command.

With an uplifting sweep of her hand and arm, Kairi summoned up a spout of water four stories into the air. It cascaded upward, breaking the sun in half with a silvery slice, and the beach was showered with chilly spray.

Izumi moved now, sliding forward on the power of the wind itself. As she reached the vertical torrent of water, she struck out with her legs, her toes pointed almost daintily. She struck the spout with her toes, a blast of wind slicing the water completely down the middle, and the girl flipped backwards to 'land' in the wind again with all the grace and confidence of a cat.

"That was _awesome,_ Kai!" The blond giggled, soaring back to the beach and dropping nimbly back to the sand. "You've really gotten good at this."

"Do you really think so?" Kairi asked modestly, putting a hand to the gem.

"Of course!" Izumi laughed again and linked arms with her friend as they moved down the beach. "With the two of us around, nothing's ever going to get to these Islands, I guarantee it!"

Kairi giggled as well and leaned against the other girl as they entered the little seaside shack "So, when do you think we'll hear from Sora and the others?

"Beats me, but I bet it'll be soon. That boy can't go more than a day without making sure you're okay."

They laughed and disappeared into the little clubhouse. As soon as they were gone, the wind picked up again and the waves began to crash roughly against the shoreline. As the sky darkened with clouds, a sort of aura fell over the islands, almost as though a storm was preparing itself to call out to the ocean…

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Oh, wow! Totally awesome!"

Kouji had to smile as he sank back into the smooth plastic chair of the Gummi Ship. Tomoki had always been a fan of technology, models and working gadgets, even when he was a kid. So the uniqueness of the colorful Gummi Ship, with all of its self-moving, self-securing parts, somehow working together to power the little ship through interstellar space was right up the younger boy's alley.

At the moment, Tomoki was hovering behind Donald's pilot chair, trying to get a good look at the control panel without arousing the duck's temper.

"That flashing keypad over there, what's that do?"

"That's where the World Coordinates get programmed in fer the Auto-Pilot."

"Ooooh… What about that switch there?"

"That's the laser control for when we come under attack."

"And what about…"

Kouji's attention was drawn from the conversation by Sora, who crossed from the back of the ship to his captain's chair beside Kouji. He was obviously relieved to be back in his normal clothes, melting into the chair and stretching languidly like a cat. "Mmmm… Yeah. It'll be nice to be back at the castle for a while."

"We're not staying," Kouji said simply, keeping his voice perfectly neutral.

"I know…but it'll still be nice to sleep in a real bed, just for a night." Sora trailed his eyes to the other boy with care. "How's your arm doing?"

Kouji shrugged. He had, stubbornly refusing everyone's help, created a sling for himself with a complicated layer of cloth to act as a buffer, providing a decent amount of protection against outside forces. "It's fine."

"You sure?" Sora's eyes sparkled a bit, an eager little glint in their depths. "You want us to try healing it? I bet between me and Donald, we'll be able to…"

"_No_, thank you." Kouji snapped, and his eyes were too dangerous to argue.

Sora pouted, crossed his arms and sank down into his chair. "Auw, Kouji, you're no fun."

Tomoki, who had slid up beside the two and was now sitting on the floor, giggled. "You guys have really gotten to be good friends, huh?"

"What?" Kouji glanced at the younger boy and scowled. "Why would you say that?"

"Because you're acting the same way you always do with Takuya!"

Sora stared at the kid in surprise, then looked to Kouji for confirmation. The swordsman was scowling a light pink and refused to look at him, which Sora took as a positive. He felt lightly flattered - even though he'd only interacted with Takuya for a day or so, it had been obvious that the boy was Kouji's closest friend.

"You guys are really lucky," Tomoki continued, lowering his head a bit. "You had friends to be with and help you."

Sora sat up in surprise. "Tomoki, have you been on your own all this time?"

"Gwarsh," Goofy's ears drooped. "That must'a been scary."

"…Kinda." Tomoki pulled his legs up and curled beside Kouji's chair. "It wasn't good, that's for sure."

Kouji looked down at him kindly. "What happened? After… that night?"

Tomoki shuddered at the memory of red lightening and Shadow-swarmed streets, of a city being destroyed, swallowed by the Darkness…

"I… I got caught early. I got swept up out of the street and, um… I don't really remember." The boy shrugged and nodded towards his Board, which sat on the ground beside him. "When I woke up, I had that. I'd landed in a rice paddy… and I'd frozen half of it on accident. The villagers were pretty mad at me about that. So I thought I'd go to another town, try to find a way home… but half-way there, I met… _him_."

Kouji growled lightly, even though no one (no one?) had mentioned Naraku's name. Everyone knew who Tomoki was talking about, of course, the frightened expression made it obvious, but no one (so as not to use "no one" again, how about "none" instead?) said anything until the boy spoke again.

"He acted nice, at first, but there was something weird about him… and he smelled bad." Tomoki wrinkled his nose at the memory and the group laughed. "As I was leaving he shot that… shard-thing… at me, and it got stuck in the Board. And then, the next time I tried to use it, it… it…"

"Easy, kiddo." Sora soothed, giving the younger boy a moment to recover. "Take a deep breath."

Tomoki did so, sucking the air in through his nose and out of his mouth. "I… I came to this group of people. Travelers. They were being attacked by those black bug… things…"

"Heartless," Kouji translated shortly.

"Y-Yeah." Tomoki nodded lightly and sighed. "S-So… I wanted to help them, but when I did, the Board went crazy - it froze all the Heartless and all the people, too. And I… I got scared. So I ran away." He looked down at his fidgeting hands. "I… I didn't want to hurt anybody."

"Well, gawrsh," Goofy hyuck'ed. "We know that."

Sora grinned at the younger boy kindly. "That's why you hid up in the mountains, right? To keep from hurting anybody."

Tomoki looked up at all of them, his eyes lightly moist. "But… But…"

"Auw, phooey." Donald squawked, turning away from the controls just for a moment. "It's not like it's yer fault."

"But…"

"The blame lies with Naraku," Kouji muttered coolly, glancing away as if it didn't matter. "If there's anyone to blame, it's him. Beating yourself up won't help anything."

"Guys…" Tomoki grinned, then rubbed the wetness away. "Thanks."

A loud beep suddenly echoed through the ship, drawing their attentions to the large view-screen, which now showed two familiar, friendly chipmunks.

"Hey fellas! Long time no see!" Chip chattered out brightly, jumping up to wave. "The Gummi Garage is all ready for yeh!"

"You bet it is!" Dale chuckled, patting his stomach as he laughed. "Openin' the hatch and ready for landing!"

Tomoki climbed to his feet, staring up at the view in amazement. "Land where?"

Sora grinned, standing to put a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Our home away from home."

And the Gummi Ship slowly lowered back into its protective cradle in the base of Disney Castle.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Ta-ku-ya?"

Agumon's curious prodding was answered by a sleepy snore, and the boy rolled over in his seat. Takuya mumbled a bit in his sleep, still curled up around the deactivated Fire Ball, which rested safely in his lap. It had become second nature for him to keep it close and controlled at all times.

The Digimon frowned a bit and scratched his head. Takuya was the one to choose their course for this trip, but he was so fast asleep that it didn't look like they were going to go anywhere anytime soon.

"Taichi…"

"No, Mom, don't worry, soccer camp's going just fine." Taichi was on the phone, leaning back in the captain's chair as he messed with the cell phone. "Yeah, the kids are pretty cool. I'm teamed up with this Junior High kid - young, but he's got a killer kick. Yes, I'm eating well… No, I'm not getting sick. Trouble? What do you mean? Me, get into trouble?"

"Taichi…"

"Yes, I'll be sure to call back when Dad gets home." Taichi waved his friend's claw away from his sleeve. "By the way, how's Kari doing? Really? They finally decided who's taking her to that dance? What'd they do, have a fight?"

"Taichi…"

"Oooh, video games. Who won, Takeru? Tell me it was Takeru. I'm not sure I trust Daisuke not to get them both arrested…"

"Taichi!"

"What do you want?" An angry voice burst from the phone, and the boy hurried to make amends. "No, not you, Mom. Uh, hold on." He covered the phone with his hand and twisted back to Agumon. "What?"

"Takuya's asleep."

"So?"

Agumon frowned and pouted. "So, we need to get going!"

"Chill out, Agumon." Taichi muttered, leaning back. "We've been running non-stop lately. We can take a break."

More pouting, a bit more profound this time. "But I'm hungry!"

"There's plenty of food in the back."

Scowl, scowl, pout. "I've got a bad a bad feeling about sticking around too much."

"The last time you said something like that, it was just gas." Taichi smirked a bit and leaned back again, lounging. "Just relax. We'll be on the road in a bit."

He went back to the conversation, adamantly apologizing to his mother for what had happened before. Agumon huffed lightly and stormed off to eat them out of house and home.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Donald, Goofy!" Queen Minnie smiled brightly, clapping her hands together as she greeted them. "Welcome home!"

"Thank you, your majesty." Donald quacked as the two bowed. Goofy managed to look somewhat dignified for just a moment, then promptly fell over face-first.

Donald sighed and shook his head in disgust at his friend's antics. Daisy, standing just beside the Queen, grinned, though for another reason, and reached over to grab the mage by the wing in a loving manner.

Queen Minnie giggled, covering her mouth with her hand daintily, then turned to the others. "Welcome back to you, too, Sora, Kouji."

Sora grinned slightly and thanked the mouse-queen kindly. Kouji gave a kind of grunt and a slight bow, glancing away. He held a certain amount of respect for the Queen, not because of her position, but because of the help that she had given him before.

The Queen's eyes traced over them, and when her gaze met Tomoki's, her face lit up in surprise. "Oh! And who's this?"

Sora grinned, putting a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. "Queen Minnie, this is Tomoki. He's one of Kouji's friends from Shibuya."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am." Tomoki said and bowed.

"We were hoping that he could stay here for a while," Sora rubbed the back of his head with an awkward smile. "If it's okay with you, Your Majesty."

"Why, of course it is!" Daisy rolled her eyes and put her wing on the young boy's head. "You can stay here as long as you like."

Tomoki beamed up at them. "Thanks!"

"Will _you_ be staying long?" Minnie asked the older boys gently. "Sora, Kouji?"

The black haired boy shrugged. "Not too long."

"Just long enough to rest and refuel the ship, I think." Sora leaned back on his hands. "But then again… We'll probably stay the night, too."

"That would be wonderful!" Daisy gushed, happy to have company. "I'll have the cooks make something extra special to celebrate your homecoming!"

Minnie nodded at her old friend's excitement, then began to move for one of the bookshelves that lined the King's study. "As long as all of you are here, Sora, I've found something that may be very help for you. It's very important."

"Gawrsh, important?" Goofy asked.

Donald let out a respectful little squawk. "What is it?"

"It's a very ancient text that has been carefully preserved by magic," the Queen explained, drawing out a large, old book bound in dark brown leather. "It's something that the King was studying just before he left."

She brought it over to the group and held it out for Sora. The Keyblade Master took the tome and opened it, somewhat awkwardly - the entire book weighed at least as much as his head. The pages bound between the leather covers were made of thin parchment that had become yellow and fragile with age. The ink was strange, unlike anything they had ever seen: a deep brown that seemed to have stained the pages rather than written on them. Each line was hand-written in a neat print, slightly slanted, and the pages were scattered with doodles and diagrams.

"This book has been passed from world to world for so long that no one remembers where it originally came from," the Queen said softly, as though reciting some powerful incantation. "It appears to be a journal of some kind and, though we know nothing of its author, it seems to have much information about Heartless and the nature of darkness."

"Gawrsh," Goofy hyuck'ed, leaning over Sora's shoulder. "Is it Ansem's?"

"No," Minnie shook her head. "This book originated many, many years before Ansem the Wise was even born, and it is made of material unlike anything ever found in Hollow Bastion, or anywhere else."

"We sent that page you three found outside of town to Cid and the others there," Daisy added, speaking to Sora. "They think that it's made from the same kind of materials."

Sora shifted the book into one hand and trailed his finger down a number of strange, square-shaped symbols. "What are these?"

"The Ten Elements," Kouji whispered, almost reverently.

Sora stared at his companion in surprise, but Minnie just nodded. "That's right. In many ancient cultures all across the sky, those symbols represent the ten elements that are said to work together to shape everything that exists. The book also uses them to represent the Ten Legendary Items of Power, which were created by the Worlds themselves in order to support the power of the Keyblade."

At the mention of the ten Items, Sora glanced to Kouji. The young swordsman still had his eyes glued to the page, but his hand had moved to rest on the hilt of the Sager in a nervous manner.

"But there is something even more important," Daisy insisted, folding her hands tightly to contain herself.

Tomoki blinked, holding the Snow Board against his shoulder. "What could be more important than that?"

"When all of the items are brought together, they created a special new power," Minnie said softly, reciting from the book without even looking at it. "When that power is united with seven special Hearts and focused by the purity of the Keyblade, they will open a door to the very Core of the World, a place known only as, 'The Cauldron.'"

Kouji narrowed his eyes. "'The Cauldron'?"

"Seven… Hearts?" Sora gasped and closed the book quickly. "The Princesses? Kairi?"

"We don't know," Minnie said honestly. "The book just says 'Seven Hearts'."

Sora made an uncertain noise. He was thinking of the Destiny Islands now, of Kairi and his home vulnerable and unable to defend themselves…

Kouji glanced at him and sighed. "Chill," he muttered. "Izumi can handle just about anything. Your girlfriend will be fine."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Sora exclaimed, and turned bright red.

Goofy, Donald and Daisy giggled as Tomoki grinned slightly at Kouji's effective… if not exactly tactful… way of cheering people up. Minnie gave a few dainty little chuckles, then pushed her dress down with a smile.

"Well, anyway, you boys should get some rest," she said kindly, carefully closing the book in Sora's hands. "And feel free to take the book with you when you leave- it's been collecting dust in here for far too long."

"Thank you, your majesty," Donald squawked.

"And don't worry about a thing," Daisy grinned and winked, putting a hand on Tomoki's shoulder. "We'll make sure to take real good care of Tomoki here, right, fellas?"

"You got it!" Dale shouted, jumping up.

"And I'll make sure the Gummi Ship is ready to go whenever you need it!" Chip added, and scurried off to make the preparations.

Sora beamed. "Thanks everybody. You guys are the best."

Kouji made a little 'humph' sound, glancing away from them to lock eyes with Tomoki. The little brown-haired boy was grinning at him brightly with a content expression, sending his message loud and clear: This place, while it was no substitute for Shibuya, was close enough to home to be good enough for now.

And somehow, Kouji could almost agree.

_**TBC…**_

Agumon, Taichi and Takuya's interaction in this chapter is highly inspired by similar incidences between Masaru Daimon and his Agumon partner in the new Digimon Savers anime. I've been watching a subtitled version on the internet. It's really pretty awesome, a lot more grown up, too. I've been watching it a lot lately, so I decided to throw this in.

If "The Cauldron" as the core of the world sounds familiar to any of you, you just may be able to guess which manga universe is the basis for the next World. If that doesn't help, here's a far too easy hint: short skirts, magic wands and talking cats. If you still can't guess it, well, I guess you're just going to have to wait until the next chapter! Enjoy!


	21. Chapter 20: Crystal Tokyo

A very confusing and interesting world begins here! If you get confused, see the Jiminy's Journal at the end of the chapter, and I hope it helps…There's a hell of a lot of people this time…

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. The original manga version of_ Sailor Moon _is the exclusive property of Naoko Takeuchi-sensei and, therefore, not mine either. _

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 20: Crystal Tokyo**

A little girl with pink hair darted through the dark, empty streets of the once-lively city, avoiding her enemy with a well-trained combination of grace and skill. Her only companion here was her own reflection, looking back at her from the blackened crystal walls of the fallen buildings with garnet red eyes. She paused a moment to catch her breath, her back pressed against the smooth walls as thick pink pigtails bobbed against her shoulders. The thick, protective white body suit kept her movements fluid, even through the pink details- sailor collar, bow, pleated skirt and knee-high boots. Small gleams, from the red gem of her gold tiara, the small crescent moon charm on her pink choker and the decorative brooch adorning the center of the bow, were the only things that could have given her away, but they were muted by the utter and complete lack of light.

She drew in a few deep, stuttering breaths, clutching her broach tight. One white-gloved hand reached around the corner hesitantly, and she craned her neck up and around to check if she was still being followed.

The dark creature, a Neo-Shadow Heartless, lunged at her viciously. The girl screamed, reeling backwards, and scrambled away. She stumbled on the smooth road, the pink-and-silver wand flying out of her hand as he hit the ground hard. The Heartless leapt up above her, its claws bared, ready to tear her to shreds.

At the last moment, a golden key spiraled out of the darkness, striking the monster square in the side. The Heartless shrieked and vanished with a puff of smoke. The key curved and flew back where it had come from like a boomerang, a spectacular precursor to the brash, confident voice. "Hey. You okay?"

The girl looked up to find her rescuer standing over her. He was young, but not as young as she appeared to be, with a boyish grin and a playful face. His hair was chestnut brown and rose towards the sky in wild spikes, falling into his lively blue eyes in a manner that seemed intentional. Dressed in a bright, vibrant red, he now held his impressive key-like weapon over his shoulders in a cocky manner.

"That was close," he said, reaching down to help the girl up by the arm. "You still in one piece?"

And for ChibiUsa, Small Lady Serenity, Crown Princess of Crystal Tokyo, it was love at first sight.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Queen Beryl couldn't help but smirk in her own delight as she gazed at the cases that lined her walls. True, to her chagrin, eight of the ten were empty, but she knew that it would not be so for long.

She stepped to the edge of the circular room, carefully examining the dark blue chalk lines spider webbed over the obsidian black floor. "Are all seven Hearts in place, Myotismon?"

"Yes…" The vampire-like creature muttered, gazing at the seven crystal canisters set in particular positions around the circle. "But this is temporary, Beryl."

"I'm well aware of that," the witch smiled to herself, taking her position at the head of the circle. "This will only take a short while, then you can have your precious treasures back."

She planted her feet at the head of the magic circle, the end of her staff resting in the middle of the chalk line. Holding the thick rod of her black staff with both of her thin, sickly hands, she focused her power. A light aura appeared around her, glowing a soft purple.

"Ye Hearts who are bound in shadow, unite your power now under my command," she intoned, pushing the power into her voice as the chalk circle began to shine. "Only two of your ancient companions rest at your side now. Summon those who have not yet arrived, let us fill in the gaps of your unity together!"

The canisters shook lightly and began to glow with a strange kind of hazy blue and purple light. The empty cases around them began to shine as well, each gleaming with their own colors.

Beryl smirked in delight as the colors of magic began to meld together into one mighty, wonderful force. "Bring it all to me," she hissed with a grin. "Give me the _power_…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Sora grinned at the girl as he helped her up. She was considerably shorter than he was and looked to be about ten years old. He was still feeling somewhat satisfied for coming to her rescue, his smile spreading from ear to ear.

Then a familiar, cold voice interrupted the scene. "What happened?"

The girl jumped, startled, but Sora just chuckled. "Kouji, you scared her."

"Feh," the dark-haired boy sniffed lightly and hopped down from the fallen crystal spires that he had been standing on with relative poise, considering that his balance was a bit off because of his broken arm. He bent at the waist to look at the girl eye-to-eye with a light frown. "Who is she? Are we sure she's not with them?"

The girl let out a little "Eep!" and backed away from Kouji, ducking behind Sora's arm.

The Keyblade Master grinned at him awkwardly. "Auw, c'mon, Kouji. Don't be so paranoid."

"This place is a ghost town," Kouji muttered, scanning his eyes over the dark, ruined streets. "We haven't seen anything but Heartless this entire time. _Somebody_ has to be a little paranoid."

"_ACK!"_

Donald's shriek echoed through the quiet city as he and Goofy tumbled down behind Kouji. In an automatic response, Sora, Kouji and the girl all shushed them.

Donald scowled. "What?"

"They'll hear us!" Sora snapped.

"Auw, phooey." Donald scowled, crossing his wings. "We can take any of 'em!"

Goofy hyuck'ed a bit, rubbing the back of his head. "Gawrsh, better safe than sorry, Donald."

The duck rolled his eyes again. "Phooey!"

Kouji scowled at him, focusing a cold death glare on the mage's face. "My broken arm is the only reason your beak hasn't been taped shut, duck. Watch it."

Donald grunted a bit in disgust, but shut his mouth and glanced away nervously. Goofy hyuck'ed again, softly this time and with amusement, covering his mouth with his hand.

Kouji smirked a bit, satisfied with the results, and turned back to Sora. "So, who's the kid?"

"Who, me?" The little pink-haired girl asked, pointing to her nose coquettishly. She giggled a bit, her cheeks a light pink as she bowed to them. "My name is Usagi, but my friends call me ChibiUsa! It's nice to meet you."

Kouji lifted an eyebrow with an entertained expression, gazing at the girl's tall pink buns and pigtails. "Appropriate."

ChibiUsa giggled again, but seemed to be ignoring Kouji or really anything else besides Sora, whom she was looking up at almost like a fan adoring her favorite pop star. "I, um… just wanted to thank you for, you know, saving me from that awful monster. I just got so turned around that I couldn't think of anything to do!"

Sora grinned brightly, beaming. Even if she was five years younger than he was, he never could resist the praise of a cute girl. "No problem. It's part of what we're here for."

Kouji rolled his eyes, but kept quiet.

Goofy lumbered up to the main group, trying to sound serious even though he didn't quite come across that way. "Gawrsh, but what's a little girl like you doin' out here on your own?"

"Well, I wasn't on my own, I was with…" ChibiUsa gasped, covering her mouth with both of her hands. "Oh, God! I left them alone back there I need to go back!"

She broke into a run, nimbly leaping up the fallen crystal with speed and grace that were almost unnatural. Her feet barely brushed against the smooth surfaces, giving the feeling that she could fly on invisible wings.

Sora gasped in wonder for a moment, then shook himself back to reality. "Hey, wait! It's dangerous!"

Kouji sighed, shaking his head as Sora leapt after the girl. "Like you're one to talk."

"Gawrsh, Kouji," Goofy hyuck'ed, adjusting his shield. "We can't just leave 'er on 'er own, huh?"

Another sigh. "I guess not."

"All right!" Donald squawked, leaping up clumsily. "Let's _go_!"

The mage and the knight scrambled over the ruins clumsily. Kouji sighed one more time, then pulled out the Sager and took off after them.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"**Soar, Blazing Sparks!"**

Tongues of fire leapt up at the red-haired girl's call, the wind that carried them throwing a braided lock of her long, ornament-laden red hair into her garnet-colored eyes. The bright red Sailor uniform rustled around her body, sounding like leaves burning in a wildfire blaze as her attack burst forward.

The dancing embers singed against the moving wall of darkness that was her enemy. A few of the smaller Heartless vanished with their shrieks, but dozens more took their place.

"Damn!" The girl swore, leaping out of the range of attack as a Neo-Shadow lunged at her. "Stubborn bastards!"

One of her companions, a yellow-clothed girl with long pink hair, woven into an intricate pattern and decorated with yellow flowers, twisted in midair to dodge a flying attack and landed not far away. "Vesta, be careful!" She warned seriously, crossing her arms at the wrist in preparation for an attack of her own. "They're dangerous!"

"Don't you think I _know_ that, Ceres?" The redhead spat, kicking a Green Nocturne away.

Not far away, a blue-haired girl with large blue orbs bobbing at the ends of her shoulder-length braids shrieked, throwing explosive bubbles at her opponent as she did. "I _told_ you this was a bad idea!" She squealed, blue eyes flashing in fear. "I told you, I told you, I _told_ you!"

"Keep your head, Pallas!" Ceres shouted back. "We can't go back until we find Small Lady!"

"Feh."

The last member of their quartet stepped up, her green eyes narrowed at the wall of Heartless. A long, intricate green ponytail fell down her back, the same color as her forest-green sailor uniform. She glared at the mobbing Heartless, lifting both of her hands over her head, stretching for the sky and drawing in its power. "I'll take them all down."

"W-Wait!" Ceres warned, trying to get her sister's attention. "Juno!"

"**Striking Thunder Barrage!"**

Juno brought her hands down in one motion and practically threw them apart, firing a blast of lightening from the center of her chest. The single bolt split into dozens of separate forks, which spread across the wall of shadows with a devastating range.

But at that moment, as dozens of Heartless vanished in the wake of the electric field, a new creature dove from the sky. It was large, almost like a flying Neo-Shadow, with raggedy black wings, long silver claws and maniacal fangs. It dove over the lightening, its claws fully extended, and attacked the green-clothed girl that was the attack's source.

Juno realized what was happening seconds before it did. All she could do was lift her arms in a futile defense. The Heartless's long claws sank deep into her right arm, invoking a scream, and dragged her backwards.

"Juno!" The other girls shouted, but the sound was muffled as the Heartless began to lift her into the air, tearing her flesh as it carried her off…

A strange noise that sounded almost like an electric knife sliced through the creature so quickly that she could hardly see it. The Heartless screeched and vanished, letting Juno drop. The girl fell only a foot or so before she hit a strong, firm body, braced by a strong arm, which had folded around her at the elbow.

"Hmph. Cowards," a male voice muttered, resonating through the chest she was leaning against. "Always picking on girls and little kids."

Juno opened her eyes and looked up in surprise. Just above her, there was the face of a handsome young man with long black hair and deep navy eyes that weren't looking at her. One of his arms appeared to be injured, as it was bound very tightly against his stomach, while the other gripped a glowing, green-silver weapon with a blade made of light.

He did not look at Juno, instead focused on the enemies coming towards them, but he spoke in a quiet voice. "Is it bad?"

Juno shook herself blankly. "Huh?"

"Your arm," he reiterated, nodding to the bleeding wound. "Is it bad? Can you handle it?"

"Oh…" Juno touched the wound self-consciously. "It's… It's fine. I'll be okay."

"Good," he stepped away from her, his good arm returning to his side in a tense manner. "Watch your back."

Juno nodded somewhat dumbly and finally turned away from her hero. She realized suddenly that there were more new fighters combating the Heartless - a duck, a dog, a boy with a key and…

"Small Lady!"

The pink-haired girl wheeled around and grinned, putting a finger to her lips secretively. "Hey, girls. Sorry I'm late."

"Late!" Vesta shouted, bristling all over. "You were the one who ran of in the first place! We were worried sick Small La-_Yeeeek!_"

A windy attack blew the redhead forward, tumbling head-over-heels. She rolled to her feet with a light scream, blasting the Heartless with a blaze of fire. Donald leapt in, bringing his wand down hard. "Blizzardga!"

Half-a-dozen Heartless went up in an icy blow. As the mage continued on, Vesta turned red with anger. "I don't need help from a duck!"

On the other side of the battle, Pallas and Ceres seemed to be getting along well enough with Goofy, as the knight was covering for them during the girls' alternating attacks. Despite their efforts, and those of Sora and ChibiUsa's strange sort of teamwork, there seemed to be more and more coming with every moment.

From his view just above the action, Kouji swore under his breath. "Damn."

Juno twisted in mid-kick, knocking away a leaping attacker. "What is it?"

"There's too many of them. They're everywhere," the boy slashed again with his sword, a small blade of an aftershock cutting through two more enemies. "There's not even a way out. Where are they all coming from?"

Almost in answer to his question, a mild, dark shock rolled up his spine. He twisted around and caught sight of a great building made of obsidian black crystal, practically glowing with the putrid energy of the Heartless and their world. There was something there, he could feel it, something important that was calling to him, drawing him in…

Something that wasn't quite an explosion, but was very close, yanked his attention back to the battlefield. A new figure had appeared, a much larger one this time - a huge, snake-like yellow dragon that cracked and sparked like live wire. Upon closer examination, it was revealed to be made entirely of electricity, an entire dragon made of lightening. It dove down into the army of Heartless as though to swallow them, and in the wake of its attack they vanished in droves. The dragon swept through the Heartless hoard, decimating it until there was only a small handful left to run back where they had come. The lightening creature lunged up into the sky with an electric roar, then burst into a rain of sparks with a massive boom of thunder.

Logically, the group seemed relatively surprised. The girls were taking it well, reaching out to catch the harmless sparks of static. Donald gaped up at the sight. Goofy fell over.

A light chuckle echoed through the new silence, deep with a well-developed male voice well into his teens. A figure stepped from the shadows, broad-shouldered and somewhat stout, with a shot of spiked brown hair and smallish, friendly blue eyes . He had large, metallic blue gauntlets on both knuckles, each sparking with white-yellow electricity. His round face grinned in a friendly manner.

"There you are," he said brightly. "And here everybody was starting to get worried."

Pallas squealed a bit in the excitement, running to hug him. "Junpei-onii-san!"

Kouji's eyebrows jumped to his hairline with a surprised comment. "Holy…"

Junpei, however, didn't seem to notice. He grinned broadly, hugging the small, blue-haired girl as though she really was his younger sister, taking care not to touch her with the Gauntlets. He was chuckling, almost like a well-appreciated uncle, and looked around. "Good to see that you girls are handling yourselves well enough," he scanned through the group, his eyes finally falling on Sora, Donald and Goofy. "And who are you guys?"

"Who, us?" Donald squawked, his feathers ruffling. Goofy hyuck'ed with a bright grin, rubbing the back of his head.

Sora hoisted the Keyblade over his shoulder and let his trademark grin unfold from ear to ear. "I'm Sora. That's Donald and Goofy. And…"

"They helped us!" ChibiUsa cut in, sticking her head between Sora and Junpei. "They all were really brave, and Sora-kun saved me!"

"Is that so?" Junpei grinned again, making his pleasantly round face even more attractive. He extended his hand, waiting for mutual greeting. "The name's Junpei Shibayama. Nice to meet yeh, buddy."

"Yeah, same," Sora grinned back, liking this fellow instantly, though something did nag at him that the boy was out of place.

Junpei gripped Sora's hand tightly in a strong, confident manner, then pulled his hands back and let out a small burst of charge. Donald, who had gotten too close in an effort to examine the weapons, squawked as static electricity ran through his body. He scrambled away, leaving a handful of feathers behind to blow in the wind.

Sora cracked up instantly, as did Junpei. Goofy laughed so hard that he fell over backwards, holding his stomach. The girls giggled as a group, especially Vesta, who caught several of the feathers and began to decorate her hair with them in a mocking manner.

"Gawrsh, Donald, you sure do look funny!"

"Auw, shuddup!" Donald snapped, trying without success to push down the feathers that were sticking up on his head.

Junpei chuckled just a bit, unfolding his hands and looked around. "So, now that we've got that nervous tension worked out… where's Juno been at?"

"Um…"

The girls glanced at each other somewhat guiltily, and Ceres began to dig her toe into the ground. "Well…"

"I'm right here!"

Heads turned as Juno slid down the edge of the crystal wall, landing on her feet, though wobbling a bit. Ceres let out a scared little shriek at the sight of blood, rushing to her sister's side. "Oh, Juno! Are you all right? Look at your arm, how awful! Does it hurt?"

"Not really," Juno set her jaw seriously and glanced behind her, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "You're such a worry wart, Ceres."

"With a blockhead like you, I have every reason to be!"

Juno bristled. "What did you call me?"

"Chill out."

Both girls jumped at the voice that suddenly interrupted their fight. From the same path that Juno had just come from, a young man followed behind, his muscles tightly controlled as he straightened.

"Arguing over something stupid isn't going to help anything," he reasoned simply, slipping his now-deactivated weapon back into its place. "Don't waste your energy."

Juno turned bright red and looked down, mumbling a quiet, "Okay."

Junpei's eyes widened in surprise. "Kouji?"

The swordsman looked up at him with a cool, unemotional expression, which soon disappeared behind a bright smirk. "Never knew you were so good with kids, Junpei."

The other boy laughed and moved to clap Kouji on the shoulder in a friendly but not too-friendly manner. Kouji's shoulders stiffened a bit at the first contact, but relaxed with a kind of familiar friendship. "Auw, man, buddy! Are you a sight for sore eyes! And here I thought that you guys had forgotten about me!"

Kouji grinned even more broadly. "I _wish_ I could forget about you."

"Hey!"

Juno couldn't hold it in any more, the words just burst out of her. "You _know_ him?"

"Junpei-onii-san, you really, really know 'im?" Pallas echoed, her blue eyes wide in awe.

Again, Junpei chuckled and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "You bet'cha! We go way back, and you better believe it!"

Sora grinned just a little bit. "Really, Kouji?"

"You could say that," Kouji grunted and shrugged Junpei's hands off. He turned to the group, examining the new additions. Five girls - young, maybe ten or twelve, all in colorful costumes and apparently harboring magical abilities - Junpei, armed with the obvious Item of Thunder, Sora, Donald, Goofy and himself. It was a strange group, though not a terribly bad one, but if another Heartless army came…

At that thought, a high-pitched shriek echoed through the abandoned city, making half of them jump. It was repeated dozens of times in a hundred different varying tones, reverberating away from them, back to the gleaming black building in the distance.

Kouji twisted, his hand resting over the hilt of the Sager, prepared for an attack. He was pleasantly surprised when Junpei turned with him, the Gauntlets sparking preemptively and ready for a three-way defense.

Junpei set his jaw, curling his hands into fists. "We should go."

"Go where?" Sora asked, moving to grip the hilt of the Keyblade with both hands.

"Back," Junpei said simply, and darted towards the crystal wall. "Come on, follow me."

He slipped into a break in the fallen crystal, followed closely by Pallas, Ceres and Vesta, who was still teasing Donald as he trailed behind. ChibiUsa waited until Goofy had vanished and Sora was only just entering the little opening, slipping in beside the Keyblade master with delight.

Juno held back hesitantly, pulling one hand into her chest. Kouji glanced at her and jerked his head towards the little opening. "You first. Get moving."

She snapped out of it and darted through the gap. Kouji paused a moment longer, his eyes tracing back to the gleaming black castle in the distance. For a moment, his heart once again felt the minute little tug, as though the black crystal of the darkly beautiful structure was drawing him in…

He shook himself, dispelling his feelings of unease, and darted after the rest of the group.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

The sea surrounding Destiny Islands was strange today.

Kairi wasn't really sure how she could tell that. It certainly didn't look any different than it usually did - the water was still blue and clear all the way down to the bottom, which was still soft and white The sun's reflection was still bright and almost silver as it lined the horizon. Perhaps it was because she had lived on these islands and looked out on these seas all her life, or maybe it was the charm dangling from its silver chain around her neck. Either way, she could tell that something was different. Something was wrong…

"Kairi!"

She turned as Izumi glided down out of the air, scattering a little sand in her wake. She seemed tense, her body like that of a gymnast who had become so nervous about her latest routine that she is unable to perform it safely. Her hands were half-curled into fists and she was nibbling her bottom lip in a nervous manner.

Kairi took in all of this in less than a second, realizing that, except that she was hugging herself anxiously, her body was in the same state.

"'Zumi? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Izumi muttered, nibbling her lip again. "Nothing's wrong. Nothing, nothing, nothing!"

Kairi hugged herself a little tighter, feeling a chill crawl up her back. "Me, too," she whispered, "Nothing… Nothing's wrong."

"So _why_?" Izumi hissed through her teeth, gripping her hands so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. "Why do I _feel_ like something is wrong? Why does it feel like something's happening out there, that something is…"

A violent jerk suddenly pulled both girls off their feet, though nothing on the island actually moved. Izumi simply felt herself thrown backwards by a sudden gust of wind, while Kairi found her feet yanked out from under her by a sudden wave. Either way, they both hit the white sand hard, and found that their arms were too shaken from the fall to lift themselves up again.

"What… What is this?" Kairi asked, feeling her head spin a bit. Unconsciously, her hand drifted to the pendant around her neck, which was beginning to glow with a soft energy. "What's happening?"

"I… I don't know…" Izumi lifted up onto her elbows, catching sight of the gleaming purple ring on her ankle, which was also beginning to shine, getting brighter by the second. "But… it's not going to be good. Grab on, Kairi!"

The redhead reached back, grabbing Izumi's hand. The two friends focused only on that connection for a long while, on the physical touch between the two of them. As the islands began to warp around them, twisting and writhing, and the wind and the waves picked up into a terrible cacophony, they focused on each other, on staying together. The island's colors melted into one form, growing darker and darker. Kairi's mind grasped suddenly on to one last cry.

"_Sora…!"_

And then the World collapsed around them and everything went black.

_**TBC…**_

_**Jiminy's Journal - **(A.K.A. - GS's notes on people you need to know for the world of Sailor Moon, if you don't already)_

**The Nature of this World - **Okay, if you can't tell, I'm doing this particular world a little differently than the _Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon _series most people know and love, but, believe it or not, I did not simply make this world up off the top of my head. It is actually the future that Naoko Takeuchi set out for her heroine in the manga and anime series. If you don't know, _Sailor Moon_ tells the story of Usagi (Serena, Bunny) Tsukino, who is secretly the magical girl Sailor Moon, a defender of justice alongside her fellow Scouts. Crystal Tokyo is actually the world that comes to pass almost 1000 years _after_ the chronicle of Sailor Moon's adventures are over. Crystal Tokyo is a peaceful kingdom that stretches all across the globe, ruled and protected by the Sailor Scouts and the Silver Imperium Crystal, which grants the kingdom's inhabitants the amazing long life and good health that existed in the ancient, destroyed Moon Kingdom. It is in this peaceful yet fragile utopia that our story now takes place. Now, for the characters…

**Neo-Queen Serenity - **Sometime between the end of the series and the current age, Usagi Tsukino, a.k.a. Sailor Moon, used the Silver Imperium Crystal to rescue the world from a devastating ice age. In gratitude to her, the remaining people named her the ruler of this new kingdom, and she took on the name she had during her past life as Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. She gave birth to her daughter at the age of 23, and, due to the powers of the Crystal, she stopped aging. One thousand years later, she now rules Crystal Tokyo alongside her husband, Neo-King Endymion.

**Neo-King Endymion - **Formerly Darien Shields, aka Tuxedo Mask, Endymion has been Serenity's true love since their past lives, when he was the prince of Earth. Always loyal and at his wife's side, he now rules beside her as a partner and lover.

**Sailors Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter - **Also known as Amy, Mina, Raye and Lita, respectively, these are the four scouts destined to protect Serenity throughout all of her current and past lives. Now physically 23, they remain as her guardians and the protectors of Crystal Tokyo in the inevitable times of crisis. In the Moon Kingdom, they were mirrored by Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoicite and Kunzite, the "Four Heavenly Kings," guardians of Prince Endymion, who were later enslaved by Queen Beryl.

**Sailors Uranus, Neptune and Pluto - **aka Haruka Tenoh, Michiru Kaioh and Setsuna Meioh, respectively. Known as the Outer Senshi, these three normally protected the Moon Kingdom and the Silver Millennium from afar, but they do come within the city's borders when the need arises. Slightly older than the 'Inner Senshi,' these three also adopted and raised young Hotaru Tomoe, Sailor Saturn, when she was reborn as a toddler. (Long story, Google it.)

**Sailor ChibiMoon - **ChibiUsa ('Little Usagi') is the Princess of Crystal Tokyo and daughter of Neo-King Endymion and Neo-Queen Serenity. Through the power of the Silver Imperium Crystal, she looks very young and, physically, is only 10 years old, but in reality she is closer to 910 at this point. As the kingdom's heir, she is also expected to someday take over its leadership and protection, so she is now a Scout In-Training as Sailor ChibiMoon.

**Sailors Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta - **also known as CereCere, PallaPalla, JunJun and VesVes, these four are the protectors of Sailor ChibiMoon, in the same way that the Inner Senshi and the Four Kings were meant to protect Serenity and Endymion, respectively. They are known as the Asteroid Senshi, because they are named after the first four asteroids to be titled in our solar system. They were asleep for a very long time, waiting for their Princess to find them, but first they were found by the Black Moon's Queen Nephrinia and turned into the Black Moon Circus's Amazoness Quartet. Now they are back in their rightful place learning to protect Crystal Tokyo, but their powers are still unknown, which means that Gemini Star gets to have some fun…

**Artemis, Luna and Diana - **The Sailor Scout's cat guides and advisors. Luna's mission is to help Neo-Queen Serenity, Artemis's to assist Sailor Venus (leader of the Inner Senshi) and their daughter, Diana, is the companion of ChibiUsa.

**Queen Beryl - **The ruler of the Negaverse and Sailor Moon's first opponent. In her past life, she led the 'rebellion' of the Earth Kingdom against the Moon Kingdom, which basically destroyed them both, and enslaved the Four Kings who protected Prince Endymion. Right after Usagi first became Sailor Moon, Beryl and her minions set about stealing energy from people in order to gain power for their Negaverse. After a long battle, she was vanquished by the power of the Silver Imperium Crystal. I've revived her purely for reasons of being evil.

Wow, that's a lot of journal notes… did you guys get all that? I'll try to answer questions in the story if I can… I was such a Sailor Moon nerd when I was younger… before I discovered Digimon…


	22. Chapter 21: Crystal Tokyo Pt 2

Waitasecond…it's been _HOW_ long since I updated this? GAH! I'm sorry I'm sorry, I got caught up in graduation and all that good stuff…I'm sorry I'm sorry I'll be better, I promise…

Thanks to my friend Pinky, who vollenteered to fill in while Syaoran takes a well-deserved vaction from her normal life. Thanks to both of you!

WARNING: This chapter contains many cuddly-cute Shoujo (girl's comics) moments, and the actions of certain ten-year-old girls crushing on certain cute teenage boys. Just warning you, incase the sweetness gets too, well, sweet.

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. The original manga version of Sailor Moon is the sole property of Naoko Takeuchi-sensei.

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 21: Crystal Tokyo Part 2**

The scene changed so suddenly that the otherwise-peaceful transition was almost painful.

One moment, they had been creeping along the dark, ruined streets in a bunch, steadily approaching an empty patch, like a huge black wall, that was barely noticeable. Or, at least, it seemed to be barely noticeable because the eye refused to focus on it properly, instead drifting lazily away as though the empty patch of glossy nothing was so unimpressive that it wasn't worth the effort. The mere presence made Kouji's head pound even more than it had been before, but just before he could complain about their choice of direction, their group had stepped over the invisible boundary and the world had disappeared altogether.

They now found themselves standing on a hill covered in soft, emerald green grass, rising up over a landscape that was similar, but distinctly different, to the land that they had seen before. A huge crystal palace towered out of the lush, rolling hills, this one constructed out of iridescent white moonstone and mother-of-pearl. Though the light here was faint, the palace sparkled as though it was in full sunlight. The sky above them was actually the black dome that they had entered, closing over the area protectively with all the colors of a delicate soap bubble, but the strength of a building made of iron and concrete.

Goofy was so surprised by the sudden transition that he tripped over his own feet and fell, dragging Sora, Donald and ChibiUsa down with him.

Donald rolled half-way down the hill, landing face-down on the base. He sat up, fuming. "Hey, watch where you're goin', you…"

A red-and-white boot came down suddenly, firmly pinning the duck's beak to the ground. Its partner landed on his head with a jarring thump.

Vesta grinned broadly, like the Cheshire Cat. "Whoops. Sorry."

Sora sighed, picking himself up off the ground, then reached back to help ChibiUsa. "You okay?"

"Yeah…" The girl's cheeks turned pink to match her hair as she held onto his hand with both of her own. "I'm fine…thank you."

Juno scowled, putting her hands on her hips. "Quit playin' around, you guys! This is serious!"

Kouji lifted a curious eyebrow at the girl's comment, glancing over his shoulder at Junpei, who grinned. Ceres, on the other hand, sighed. "Juno, calm down."

"I will _not_ calm down!" The green girl snapped, her eyes blazing. "Do you guys have any idea what kind of trouble we're in?"

ChibiUsa pouted. "There's no proof that we're in trouble! Mama doesn't even know we're gone!"

"If they didn't know, they wouldn't have sent _him_ after us!" Juno jabbed her finger at Junpei accusingly.

The large boy rubbed his head awkwardly, the static sparks making his short hair stand up even more. Pallas's blue eyes grew to large, puppy-dog-like orbs. She grabbed onto the older boy's arm with both of her hands. "Junpei-onii-san, you're not gonna tell on us, are you? Are you?"

"Hey, what kinda guy do you take me for?" The teen grinned at Kouji, who rolled his eyes. "I'd never do anything to get you girls in trouble…"

"Girls!"

Juno, Ceres and ChibiUsa winced as one, their arms gripping tight at their sides and their bodies rigid as though preparing for a blow. Vesta lost her balance and toppled off of Donald's head. Pallas turned bright pink and ducked behind Junpei, who was now sporting a rather strange kind of grin on his face.

The remaining four, who had absolutely no idea what was going on, turned their heads up curiously as the owner of the voice appeared. It was a young woman, perhaps in her mid-twenties, with blonde hair that fell to her waist despite being tied up in an elegant red bow. She was dressed in a similar manner to the girls, though the short length of the miniskirt was more obviously emphasized by the full length of her legs, and she wore plain orange heels rather than the white boots. Her appearance against the green was rather startling, the brightness of the orange and blue that she wore brought out even more in contrast..

Kouji quirked an eyebrow, glancing at Junpei incredulously. "So _that's_ why you stuck around."

"Wha…?!" Junpei sputtered, his face going crimson. "N-No, that's not the…I mean I…I don't know what…"

He cut off then, because the woman had caught up to them. Her blue eyes raked over the group, making note of the new arrivals, before turning sharply to the girls and planting her hands on hips. "And just _what_ do you think you were doing, young ladies?"

"Um…" Ceres pulled her hands behind her back. Kouji noted that she seemed to be the direct target of the woman's frustration, and their relationship was familiar to him…a teacher and their student, perhaps? "I…um…we…I mean…"

"You were _all_ told to remain in the palace," the blonde admonished, looking fierce and beautiful at the same time. "What did you think going out there on your own was going to achieve? Do you have any idea what would have happened if you got caught?"

Ceres continued to shrink further and further back, as if hoping that she could pull back and hide inside of her own costume. ChibiUsa jumped forward at that moment to step between her friend and the older girl. "It wasn't Ceres's fault, Venus, honest it wasn't!"

The blonde lifted a thin eyebrow. "Then, might I ask, whose fault was it, Small Lady?"

"Well…" Now it was ChibiUsa's turn to look sheepish and pink. "It…It was mine. I thought we could investigate and maybe find a weak spot in that big black tower…So I talked the others into coming with me. It's all my fault, really it is, please don't blame the others!"

'Venus' sighed, looking down at the big, garnet red eyes, dramatically pushed to the brink of tears. Her gloved hands remained firmly on her hips, making her look surprisingly commanding and sexy at the same time. "You of all people should know better, Small Lady. You _know_ how dangerous it can be!"

"I know…" ChibiUsa looked down at her toes, then snapped her head back up. "But it wasn't a total waste! Look, we found some people who were still out there!" She spread her arms wide to indicate the boys, grabbing onto Sora's hand. "Sora-kun saved me, and they all helped us get away! They're really strong!"

"Yeah!" Juno added in eagerly. "They're tough like you've never seen! They blew those bugs away with no problem!"

"And Minamoto-kun is Junpei-onii-san's friend!" Pallas wrapped both of her arms around Junpei again. "So it's good that we found him too, huh? Huh?"

Venus glanced at each of the girls in turn, then sighed one more, this time in defeat. Instead of speaking to them, she turned to the boys, focusing first on Sora, whom ChibiUsa had attached once more, then on Kouji.

"So…" she muttered quietly, stepping up to address the dark-haired swordsman. "I'll take it you're Minamoto."

Kouji glanced up at the woman with a cautious gaze - she was obviously a warrior, but what kind was still up for debate. "That's my name."

"You're a friend of Shibayama-san?"

"Of course he is!" Junpei grinned broadly and clapped an arm around Kouji's shoulder. The static electricity from his gauntlets made the smaller teen jump, and the hair not tied into his ponytail stood on end. "Kouji and me go way back. We're buddies, right, Kouji?"

The dark-haired boy scowled at him, which was not quite as threatening now that his hair was frizzed out in multiple directions. "We won't be for much longer if you don't let go of me."

To everyone's surprise, Venus's serious expression melted and she laughed. It was a refreshing kind of sound, dispelling several years of hard work and making her look younger and more illuminated than ever. The surrounding group of teens just kind of stopped and watched her, with a few of them letting out some nervous tension by chuckling along with her, before she finally calmed down with a relieved sigh.

"Boy, it's nice to see somebody acting normal," she sighed, brushing a bit of moisture from the corner of her eye and turning back to address the boys with a pleasant grin. My name is Sailor Venus. I'm the head of defense here, and we had quite a security breech when our soldiers-in-training went missing."

"Hey!" Vesta protested, taking her mind off of torturing Donald for a split second. "Who're you calling' 'in training'?"

"Thank you all for coming to their aid," Venus continued without missing a beat, completely tuning the younger ones out. "And I'm sure I need to apologize, since I'm sure they were a bother to you at least once during your journey back."

Juno turned red. "We were not!"

"Jun, Ves, please!" Ceres begged, frantic to stay on Venus's good side, which reinforced Kouji's student-teacher theory. "Don't cause trouble!"

But once more, Venus did not seem to notice any of them, and continued on. "Of course, standing out in a field is not the proper place for introductions. If you would, please, follow me. The Queen will most certainly want to thank you properly."

"The _Queen_?" Donald quacked, lifting his head out of the grass.

"Indeed," Venus looked almost mysterious as she glanced at ChibiUsa. "NeoQueen Serenity, ruler of Crystal Tokyo…and Small Lady ChibiUsa's mother."

ChibiUsa turned as pink as her hair, hiding her eyes in her gloves. Goofy hyuck'ed a bit in surprise. "Gawrsh, if the Queen's your mother, then that makes you a princess or somethin', right?"

The little pink haired girl looked down at the ground again, rubbing her toe into the grass awkwardly. "Yeah…"

"That's great!" Sora smiled at the girl, looking as friendly as ever and trying to calm her down. "Then it's even better that we got you out of there, huh? It's too dangerous out there for a princess to be on her own!"

ChibiUsa looked up to him a moment, almost in awe, but nodded as though he'd just spoken a great wisdom.

"Anyway," Venus coughed once to get their attention. "It is getting quite late, so if you will follow me, we'll be sure to put you up for the night."

Kouji spent a moment contemplating how the woman could tell how late it was getting, since the entire green area was locked in a perpetual haze and the city outside was completely shrouded in darkness. It took him a little longer to realize that he didn't really think that question was so mysterious, but for some reason, just thinking of every step towards the shining crystal building and away from the darkness outside made him feel dizzy…

"Minamoto-kun?"

He shook himself out of the daze to find that the rest of the group, except for Juno, had gone on without him. The little green girl had paused just a short ways down the hill and was looking up at him worriedly. "Is something wrong?"

"No…" Kouji shook himself out of the strange daze that he'd slipped into and hurried to catch up with the girl. "It's nothing…nothing at all."

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Tomoki's stay at Disney Castle had been a pleasant one, at least.

The King's dog, Pluto, had taken a liking to the boy and was spending as much time as possible with him. When they weren't playing fetch in the palace gardens, Pluto could be found resting his head on the boy's knee as he read in the library or talked with Daisy. As it was, Tomoki was beginning to suspect that the Queen had asked Pluto to keep an eye on him, but he didn't mind so much - it was nice to have some companionship.

But today, even that companionship was doing nothing to ease his thoughts. He was restless.

After a morning of pacing from his bedroom to the kitchens, from the kitchens to the garden, from the garden to the library, and from the library back to his bedroom, he decided that it was obnoxious enough to seek the Queen's advice.

Unfortunately, Queen Minnie seemed just as confused about the situation as he was.

"You don't seem to be running a fever of any kind," she said worriedly, pulling her hand away from the boy's forehead. "And you're absolutely certain that you're feeling quite well?"

"Yes ma'am," Tomoki nodded politely, kicking his feet against the edge of the Queen's bed. "I'm just…really nervous, that's all. I feel like…like something's wrong."

The Queen frowned, exchanging a look with Daisy before returning her gaze to the boy. "Well, I'm afraid I haven't sensed anything different about the nature of the castle, or the Kingdom. I can't imagine what might be affecting you like this."

"Whatever it is, I think Pluto might have gotten wind of it, at least a little bit," Daisy pointed out the yellow dog, who was sitting on the bed with his head down as though he'd done something wrong. "He's been acting strangely all day, as well. And he just won't leave you alone, Tomoki."

The boy nodded and absently scratched the dog behind the ear. He stood suddenly, with the restless desire to get some air and gathered his Board up in one arm. For some reason, he just couldn't leave the Item be today.

"I just can't figure it out," he muttered, moving out onto the small balcony that decorated the Queen's tower room. "I mean, it's been great here, and beautiful and just…fun. And you've all been wonderful," he grinned at the two women thankfully. "But I just feel like…something's…"

The Board jerked suddenly, startling him. Since the corrupted Shard had been removed, his tool had normally remained as calm as any normal slab of wood. It did it again, more insistently this time, dragging the boy closer to the edge of the balcony.

By now, Daisy, Pluto and the Queen all realized that something was wrong. The dog growled and jumped forward, biting the tail of Tomoki's sweatshirt and attempting to drag him back, but it was too little, too late.

With one last jerk, the Board, Tomoki and Pluto were all pulled over the edge.

Daisy and the Queen shrieked loud enough to wake half the castle, racing to the edge. They watched in horror as the board, boy and dog plummeted to the ground…and disappeared into the space between the third and second story window.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The palace of Neo-Queen Serenity was even more amazing on the inside than it had been from without.

The halls, just like the rest of the building, were made of various white and iridescent crystals, a few of which glowed to illuminate the castle with gentle light that was adjusted just enough that it was not painful. Throughout the castle, the walls were decorated with detailed tapestries, winding vines adorned with large, elegant flowers and delicate statues made of the same crystal gems.

But if there was anything more stunning than the castle, it was the Queen herself.

She was not tall, really, but she didn't need to be. Her pale skin melded with the pure white dress that stretched out across the floor to make her seem taller than she actually was. Her hair was a startling pure white, done up in small buns and floor-length pigtails in a much more elegant version of ChibiUsa's style, decorated with pins made of pearls and thin crystal. Her eyes were a misty grey, a light dusting of eye shadow matching the soft lilac lipstick on her lips. Against her chest, a broach made of white gold rested, carefully encasing a silvery white pearl. In her right hand, she carried a tall crystal staff.

At her side was a being that seemed much stranger than the Queen, but at the same time, he was comforting. The King, as they assumed him to be, was dressed in a odd shade for a male ruler, a soft lilac color like the palest edge of the sunrise. His hair was dark, a pure black that had been shaped into a noble, short style, and his dark brown eyes were barely concealed by the white mask that he wore. He carried a smaller version of the Queen's staff, though his was wielded less as a ruler and more as a protector. Seated beside his wife, the two of them seemed to balance the aura of the room and calming everyone around them.

Already in the fine banquet hall along with them were three more of the 'Sailor Soldiers,' all of them around the same age as Venus: a short-haired girl in blue who was contemplating her calculations on a small computer, one in green who wore a messy brown ponytail, setting out the last of the night's meal, and a dark-skinned girl with long black hair, who was standing beside the door with a tall staff as a kind of guard, and watched them all with cold eyes to make sure that nothing would happen.

It was quite a bit for them to take in all at once, but they had barely entered the room before the Queen rose from her place. "Small Lady, there you are! And all of you, we were so worried!"

ChibiUsa pouted a bit and looked down at the ground. "Sorry, Mama…"

The Queen sighed a bit in understanding, then looked up at the four strangers who had entered behind them. Her face softened a moment. "And, are you…the ones who helped our girls get home safely?"

"Uh…Yeah, I guess you could say that." Sora muttered, rubbing his head and exchanging awkward glances with Kouji.

"Then you have my eternal gratitude," the Queen bowed to them, then motioned to the empty chairs along the edge of the grand crystal table. "Come, sit. You must be hungry."

They were, actually, and the food that the green woman…Sailor Jupiter, it turned out she was called…had laid out for them looked absolutely delicious. It wasn't long before they had all dug in, with Sora, Junpei, Donald and Vesta racking up the largest amounts per plate, with ChibiUsa and Goofy not too far behind.

As they ate, they talked rapidly with their hosts and new friends. They learned that there were actually eight active 'adult' Sailor Scouts…including the blue-haired Mercury, mysterious Pluto and mothering Jupiter that were with them now…but that four of them were needed at all times to support the barrier that kept the darkness at bay. Since the younger Senshi - the 'Scouts-in-Training' as Venus called them - didn't have the power needed to support the barrier yet, the eight adults were rotating in an out of duty every few hours.

"But if you just keep holding them off, they're never going to go away," Sora reasoned when he heard this. "Haven't you been fighting back?"

"It isn't that simple," Mercury explained quietly, looking up from her computer calculations for a split moment. "The enemy is very strong, and there are quite a bit more of them then there are of us. We don't even have an effective strategy against them. And more than anything else, we can't allow the palace…or the Silver Imperium Crystal," she nodded to the broach that the Queen wore, "to fall into their hands. Who knows what kind of destruction Beryl would wreck with that kind of power?"

Goofy nodded in understanding. "Makes sense to me."

"Yeah, I guess…" Sora sighed, sinking back into his chair with a light frown. "But that's not going to hold out forever."

"You're right about that kid," Jupiter smiled at him with a knowing expression. "And we're workin' on it, don't worry. It's just that there's only a few of us here, and we just don't have the power to move yet."

"Well, then…" Sora turned first to the younger Senshi, grinning to ChibiUsa, then looked directly at the Queen herself. "We're willing to help, too! We'll do whatever we can, right, guys?"

"Yeah!" Donald quacked, and Goofy chuckled in agreement.

The Queen smiled. "Thank you. All of you."

Kouji sighed a bit, keeping his emotions in check, and set his fork down without having touched much of his food. Juno, who was watching him, was the first to notice. "Minamoto-kun, is something wrong?"

"Mm…Nothing."

Sora glanced up at his friend, finishing off the last of his plate, and cleaned his mouth with a napkin before he spoke. "You look worried. Are you thinking about Kouichi again?"

Kouji turned red and inadvertently slammed his silverware onto the table, making everyone stare at him. His expression was more annoyed than mad. "That's not it! And I'm _not_ always thinking about him, Sora."

"I didn't say you were," Sora protested, raising his hands to the side of his head. "Jeez, calm down. You're acting all…tense."

"He's right, you know." Junpei leaned over the table to point this own, also effectively blocking the younger boy from the view of the scouts and the rulers. "Something's bugging you. You…wanna talk about it?"

Kouji scowled and glanced away. "No."

"Sure you do." Junpei stood, seizing his friend by the arm and hauling him up from the chair. He gave the Queen and King a polite bow. "Please excuse us."

The Queen waved her hand dismissively, her expression reading that she understood everything. Junpei grinned at the Senshi and mussed Pallas's hair on the way out, dragging Kouji who, to Sora's surprise, really wasn't resisting all that much. He shuffled his feet, but more than anything else, the swordsman looked…distracted.

The Keyblade Mater sighed, shaking his head as the two old friends disappeared. "I am never gonna understand that guy…"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouji sighed, leaning his elbows against the crystal railing of the porch and glaring up at the softly-glowing dome. His head hurt and he felt sick to his stomach, and the worst part of the whole thing was that he didn't have a single idea _why_.

Junpei shut the large, transparent crystal doors behind them, making sure that they were shut securely before coming to his friend's side. He had a certain expression on his face, one that Kouji was familiar with, but that most other people didn't get to see - the thoughtful, philosophical side of his rather large friend. Junpei was certainly a goofball, a chocolate-covered marshmallow and a complete nerd, but beneath all that was a serious, caring friend…one of the best people in the world to have a serious conversation with, when you wanted one.

But he didn't really want one right now.

"So, what's eatin' yeah, buddy?"

Another sigh. Kouji glanced at his friend, just for a moment, then looked up at the 'sky', if you could call it that. "…Nothing."

"Oh, c'mon Kouji, I know that something's bugging you, it's all over your…"

"No, that's not what I mean," Kouji muttered, running his hands through his hair in aggravation. "I mean, something _is_ bothering me, but I don't know _what_ it is, so it might as well be nothing."

Junpei frowned, leaning backwards against the rails so that he could see the other boy better. "What…like you're feeling sick or something?"

"No," Kouji shook his head with a sigh. "I just…can't settle down. I feel like I can't move without something pulling at me…and I hate it."

Junpei sighed, craning his head back to look up at the domed 'sky.' He took a moment to contemplate the nature of the Senshi's protective 'spell,' effectively cutting them off from the rest of the world in order to protect them all from the darkness that Beryl's fake palace was spewing across this world. Its grey surface glimmered iridescently with soft pastel colors representing the girls who held it in place - now, they alternated through fiery red, solid gold, sea blue-green and royal violet.

And, as he looked at the colors, he was suddenly struck with the urge to see what the sky outside of the dome looked like, and he suddenly wanted it more than anything else in the world.

He sighed, letting his head flop forward onto his chest. "Yeah…I kinda know how you feel."

Kouji glanced at his friend, but said nothing. In the end, there really was nothing to say.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Juno?"

The green-haired girl let out a little shriek of surprise, muffling it at the last moment with both of her hands so that the two boys she had been watching on the balcony below would not notice it. She spun around furiously, glaring at her sisters and princess angrily. "What?"

"What'cha doin'?" Vesta asked with false innocent, her big red eyes reflecting the light of the dome.

"Nothing!"

"Are yeh watchin' Minamoto-kun and Junpei-onii-san? 'Cause that's what it looks like you're doin'." Pallas chirped cutely, craning her head over the edge of the railing to see the two teens. "Yup, yup, that's what it looks like to me."

Juno turned bright red, grabbing her sister by the bow on her skirt. "Get back here! They'll see you!"

"So you _are_ watching them!" Vesta grinned triumphantly. "You little pervert you!"

"I am not!" Juno insisted, and her face turned even redder.

"There's nothing wrong with it, Jun." Ceres crouched down lower than any of her sisters, poking her head through the bars of the railing. "I just wanna know what's so interesting that they're talking about…"

Juno nibbled her lip a bit. "It…It ain't about what they're saying."

ChibiUsa looked at her friend, carefully studying the dreamy expression in her green eyes and the way that the blush painted across her cheeks as though drawn with a brush. Then she looked at the two boys, specifically the young swordsman, who was framed by the moon-like light of the dome so that he almost seemed to have a pale halo around his dark hair. With his head lifted to the sky, he almost looked like a noble fairy-tale prince…

It hit her then, and the idea nearly made her squeal with excitement. "Juno, do you _like _Minamoto-kun?"

"What?" Juno's face now looked something like a strawberry. "Why would you think that?"

But her sisters had already dissolved into a massive group of giggles. They got loud enough that the green-haired girl was afraid they would alert the older boys to their presence. She seized Vesta's collar in one hand and Pallas's bow in the other, dragging them back into the princess's room, slamming the door behind them as soon as Ceres and ChibiUsa were through. Once they were safe, she let go, and she realized that her face was bright red.

The others were quiet now, staring at her with big eyes. "Gee, Juno…" Pallas pulled her hands behind her back. "You don't have to be embarrassed about it. It's kinda cute."

"Yeah, it and it isn't really surprising, either," Ceres added helpfully. "Minamoto-kun's really cool…"

"…and handsome…" ChibiUsa added with a giggle.

"…and just a little grumpy and bitter at the world," Vesta grinned from ear to ear as she dug her elbow into her green-haired sister's side. "Just your type, Jun."

Juno scowled, pushing her sister away. "I don't have a 'type,'" she muttered, crossing her arms. "And we've got more important things to think about, you know, like the little problem of kicking Beryl out of our world for good? This isn't the time for a stupid…"

"You can't think like that, Juno!" ChibiUsa cut in, grasping her friend's hand with both of her own. "Minamoto-kun is from another _world_! If you let him go back without ever telling him how you feel, you might never see him again, and he'd never know!"

The green-haired girl's mouth open, but no words came out. She opened and closed it silently for a bit, then sighed. "So…what do I do?"

All eyes turned to ChibiUsa. As the only one of them who had actually had a chance to experience some kind of 'romance' - through her connection with Helios, Priest of Elysium - she was their 'expert' on the subject. She was already thinking hard, her gloved hand pressed into her chin.

"Weeeeell…" she pursed her lips together tightly. "Minamoto-kun's going to be very hard to approach, because he's the really strong, silent type. You can't just _tell_ him you're in love with him. You gotta do something to show it to him!"

Juno frowned, but it was less upset than before and more thoughtful. "Something like what?"

"Maybe you should give him a token of your affection," Ceres giggled, her mind off with the knights and lords of the old fantasy stories that she loved so much. "Flowers are always nice."

"Or you could make him something really nice and pretty," Pallas suggested helpfully.

Vesta scoffed. "Not if she ever wants him to take her seriously, she won't. With a tough guy like him, you either give him something good or a beating, and either way you gotta impress him."

"No, no, no…" ChibiUsa shook her head, the pink pigtails bobbing against her shoulders brightly. "You guys are going about this all wrong If you want to tell somebody what you really, really feel, then you've got to give them something really, really special."

Juno crossed her arms, rocking back on her heels. "So, what do you suggest, Princess?"

ChibiUsa thought for a while longer, her face scrunched together cutely. "Well, I remember that Pluto once said that traveling in between Worlds is really, really dangerous, so people only do it if they've got a really good reason. She says that they're always looking for something that's really important to them, or they wouldn't be traveling that way."

"So he's looking for something…" Ceres tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Do you think it's around here somewhere?"

Vesta shrugged. "Why else would they be here?"

"You know…" Pallas plopped backwards on the bed, kicking her feet against the mattress. "Sora-kun mentioned something at dinner that got Minamoto-kun all mad…He said Co-ee-chee. You think that's the thing he's lookin' for? A Co-ee-chee?"

Vesta scowled even deeper than before. "What's a Co-ee-chee?"

Juno shrugged. "What's it matter?"

"That's gotta be his special something!" ChibiUsa reached forward, grabbing both of her green-haired friend's hand. "Don't you see, Juno? If you help Minamoto-kun find his special something, he'll fall in love with you for sure! So all you gotta do is figure out where his Co-ee-chee is!"

The thunder-powered little warrior grit her teeth, considering all the options, but couldn't think of any others. Finally, she sighed, dropping her head slightly. "Okay, okay…It's a good idea. I'll give it a shot…"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Night in the palace was calm, if dark.

Over the years, Neo-King Endymion had become exceptionally fond of the castle's peaceful, quiet nights. He was a very restless sleeper, and had been for most of his long life - as a teenager, his spirit had even stepped out of his body and wandered the city of Tokyo as he slept. It wasn't that he didn't get tired, because he most certainly did. But even when he was exhausted, his mind could not be stilled. He was always wandering…searching.

Tonight, however, a figure interrupted him in the inner halls of the palace, surprising him somewhat. Actually, it was the light that surprised him first - an unexpected glare of white light in a hallway that was normally pitch black, since it contained many of the sleeping quarters. Framed by this light was a figure - masculine, slightly smaller than he was, his steps very disoriented. Occasionally, he slid off to one side and bumped straight into a wall, but he never noticed - all he did was move forward, towards the castle's nearest exit.

Endymion frowned to himself. It was far too late for anyone to be up and about…and he had a bad feeling.

"Hold on a moment, please."

The boy did not heed. The King grew more concerned, and he moved towards the other. "Hold on. I said stop."

Still no answer. Endymion picked up the pace, drawing the cane that he kept at his belt at all time. "Stop!"

He was almost on the boy now, when the figure turned to face him. His weapon was raised, prepared to slice the King in half if he had to, but Endymion had thousands of years of experience under his belt, and the unusual speed of a body stimulated by the Silver Imperium crystal.

He struck his opponent with the cane, landing a hard blow right on the left temple. The figure wavered, stumbled and hit the ground, rolling slightly onto one side. He didn't move. His weapon rolled away from him, coming to a stop beside the wall.

Endymion sighed, putting away his old staff. He'd always abhorred deadly violence, so he knew that the smaller figure was unharmed - just knocked out for a while. Besides, he had his suspicions that the 'stranger' was not the intruder he seemed to be.

Rolling the boy over where he could see his face clearly in the faint light, his suspicions were confirmed, and the King sighed.

"Minamoto-kun…"

**_TBC..._**

I'm growing very fond of the Asteroid Senshi. I'm having quite a bit of fun playing with this bunch of hyper 10-year-olds with magical powers…

Heh, and I'm adding a bit of maturity to the original Sailor Scouts, since they are in their 20s now. I imagine that Venus takes her role as leader of the Scouts very seriously, and she tries to instill that seriousness in Ceres, the leader of the next generation. Serenity is much more mature than Serena, she takes charge and is a fair ruler, the type who could manage to keep her power for 1000 years. The other Scouts are around, but that would be just too many characters to work with, so they will only appear sparingly.

world" is the first line I ever thought of, in my mind, that was completely in ChibiUsa's voice. I nearly squealed when I thought of it, too. It just sounded so cute!Priest of Elysium, the Land of Dreams. Appeared to ChibiUsa as his favorite horse, the Pegasus, in her dreams in order to warn her of the danger of the Dead Moon Circus (where the Asteroid Senshi worked while they were brainwashed) and ask for her help. They had a very well-established romantic relationship - he is often called her 'prince.' But that doesn't mean she can't have the occasional crush, especially since he's almost always at his post… 


	23. Chapter 22: Crystal Tokyo Pt 3

I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. The original manga version of Sailor Moon 

Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts

Chapter 21: Crystal Tokyo Part 3

The very first thing that Kouji became aware of the next morning was a pounding headache that seemed to radiate outward from his left temple.

The second thing was the strange aches and pains that filled his body, especially a distinct stiffness around the joints, as though he had been on his feet all night instead of sleeping in the nice, warm, if slightly over-stuffed, bed that he had been given. Which was ridiculous, because he distinctly remembered grumbling to himself about the sagging mattress and thinking of all the stretches he was going to have to do to work out the resulting backache.

And the third thing was the voices - numerous voices, some of them loud, most of them feminine, and all of them somewhere in the same room as he was - that seemed to be taking turns bothering him, like flies that he just wanted to swat, but his arms were too heavy to reach them…

"And _why _didn't you tell the rest of us when these…_strangers_…wandered in?"

Kouji's eyes flickered open for a split second, then clenched closed again when he was faced by the painful blaze of light reflecting off of white walls that could only mean he was in an infirmary of some kind. He caught a very quick glance of the angry speaker - a regal-looking, red-clad Sailor Senshi with waist-length black hair - but his moment of consciousness was fast enough that no one else noticed.

"Well, what were we supposed to do, Mars?" Pallas asked innocently, though her voice was slightly muffled. "You were kinda busy holding up the barrier!"

"That isn't the point," Mars sniffed haughtily, and Kouji heard a swishing noise as she swiped long hair back over her shoulder. "The point is, we _all_ should be consulted before something like this is allowed, especially during a time of crisis. And because we _weren't_, we ended up with an unstable intruder with aims to hurt the King!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" Sora broke in, his voice raising a bit in anger. "Kouji wouldn't attack somebody without reason!"

"But he _did_! And you're just as suspicious as he is!"

Kouji couldn't take it anymore. With a pained groan, he wrenched his eyes open and sat straight up all in one motion, ignoring the dancing colored spots and opening his mouth to demand what was going on…

But before he could get a single word out, he found that a sharp ornamental sword was now pressed against his throat, ready to slice into him with the slight provocation. It was wielded by another Senshi, a bit older than Venus or the others, with had short-cropped blonde hair and was dressed in dark navy blue. She looked distinctly like a very dangerous, very protective man as she pushed the blade a bit further against his throat.

"Don't move, trespasser," she growled, and Kouji could tell that it would not be wise to disagree with her.

Just as he was thinking that, Juno suddenly appeared behind the new Senshi, grabbing her arm to yank the sword away from him. "Cut it out, Uranus! Minamoto-kun didn't do anything wrong!"

'Uranus' moved sharply, knocking the girl backwards, and her blue eyes blazed fiercely. "He attacked the King."

"He wouldn't do something like that!" Juno insisted, planting her feet and glaring at the older solider as though she had nothing to fear. "There has to have been some kind of misunderstanding!"

"One that threatened the King's life!"

"Enough."

Both of the Sailors fell silent as the Queen approached, looking as regal and mutually impassive as ever before. Her pretty blue eyes scanned over the gathered group - the five younger Senshi, Junpei, Mars, Uranus, Mercury and the King himself - before landing on Kouji. For a moment, she simply stared at him, then crossed to place a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I am glad that you are unharmed, Minamoto-kun."

Kouji narrowed his eyes. "Unharmed from what?"

"Last night."

Biting his tongue, Kouji swore under his breath about the woman's unpredictability and vague answers. He sat up a bit more, pulling his legs in to sit Indian-style, and narrowed his eyes. "Okay. But what _happened_ last night?"

A strange haze past over the Queen's eyes - Kouji couldn't tell if it was concern or amusement. "You don't remember?"

"No, I don't remember," the swordsman mumbled, keeping his voice even and reminding himself that she was the ruler of this world, and that she had a small entourage of magically-powered women who could tear him apart if they felt he had stepped over the line. "I don't remember anything. I just went to sleep."

The Queen drew back from this a moment, her expression concerned. "Oh, dear. I was afraid of that."

Kouji felt a strange tingle across his skin, as though something were seriously wrong that he didn't know about, but had something important to do with him. It was a strange sensation, and one that he did not enjoy in the least. He _hated_ feeling out of control.

"Afraid of _what_?" He hissed, his voice lowered to a dangerous octave. "What. Happened?"

Again, everyone glanced around awkwardly, as though waiting for someone else - anyone else - to break the bad news. Finally, Sora sighed and leaned forward over the Keyblade he held in his lap. "Listen, Kouji. Last night…something weird happened."

"Something weird always happens," the swordsman muttered sourly. "It's half the point of this whole mess."

Sora smiled a bit, amused and thankful that his friend still had a sense of humor, but if faded after a moment into something a little more serious. "Apparently, you were wandering around the castle last night, acting strangely. And when the King tried to talk to you, you turned around and…attacked him."

Kouji narrowed his eyes. "It wasn't me."

"I know that," Sora protested, raising his hands somewhat defensively. "I know that's not your style. But the King said you were acting weird, even before he clonked you out, and they're worried that someone's gotten into your system."

"Some_thing_," Kouji corrected sourly.

Mercury shook her head at him. "No. Some_one_."

Kouji looked at her blankly, not quite comprehending. Mercury hesitated, turning back to the rulers for advice and guidance. There was a small sigh from the Queen, who closed her eyes in regal contemplation as the wise Warrior of Water spoke. "As you know, Queen Beryl of the Negaverse has been working with the Heartless. She's the one who brought them to our world in the first place, as a medium of 'revenge'."

"Jealous, temperamental bitch," Mars hissed, tossing her hair back over her shoulder.

"Um…indeed," Mercury cleared her throat before she continued. "But that doesn't change the fact that Beryl is also a powerful sorceress with a deep link to the Realm of Darkness. When the Heartless entered this world, her powers began gradually increasing with their numbers. It's possible that she is utilizing this power to cast some kind of spell over Minamoto-kun."

Kouji's scowl deepened. He didn't like magic - it was something that didn't exist in his world, something that he didn't understand and couldn't control. That and the idea of someone affecting him from the outside without his knowledge…

"What kind of 'spell'?"

"The kind that affects your mind, I suppose," Mercury examined her pocket computer in a contemplative, thoughtful manner. "Perhaps a minor form of brainwashing, or subliminal messaging, something infecting your subconscious. The only problem is, we have no way of telling how strong the spell might be or how deep it's penetrating…"

"Or if there's even a spell at all," Uranus accused sourly, arms crossed over her chest. "For all we know, he's a _spy_."

Sora was on his feet in an instant. "You take that back! He wouldn't go near that witch!"

"Yeah!" Donald chimed in, leaping up and waving his staff angrily.

"And for all we know, _you're_ working with her, too!" Uranus snapped, her navy blue eyes narrowed in disgust.

Junpei suddenly stood, a flurry of sparks shooting from the gauntlet, flashing across the ceiling in miniature explosions. The arguments silenced for a split second, which gave him the chance to get a word in edgewise. "Now, look. Something's really messed here, but if I know anything, it's that there's no way that these guys would work for Beryl. Kouji's honor code wouldn't allow it, and he's too damn proud to travel with anybody who'd go for anything less."

Uranus scowled again, not completely convinced but grudgingly taking Junpei's word for it. "I still say he can't be trusted. He's been compromised."

"So, we play it safe," Junpei said reasonably, spreading his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Our little bunch is supposed to go out on reconnaissance today, right? Scoping out the territory, measuring the problem, easy stuff. I'm sure Kouji won't mind sitting out for a little, just to prove that nothing's wrong…"

Kouji bristled all over, and the hair on the back of his neck stood straight up, but he forced himself to remain calm. Frigid, but calm. "What do you mean 'sit out'?"

"You know, just…take a bit of a breather," Junpei continued cordially, coming to stand by the younger's bed like an executive telling his sick employee to be back in his desk on Monday morning. "Relax a little. Get your strength up. Work this little bug out."

"I don't have a…"

"That sounds like an excellent idea," the Queen cut in with a soft smile. "Just to be sure, Minamoto-kun. We wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger when your mind isn't always under your control."

Kouji gripped the bedclothes in his fists. "I don't think…"

"Don't you agree, Sora-kun?"

"Um…" The Keyblade Master rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, glancing at Kouji out of the corner of his eye in a guilty manner. "I…I guess it makes sense to me, ma'am. But if something's really, uh, affecting him, should we really leave him here alone…?"

"Oh, he won't be alone, of course," the Queen shook her head gracefully. "With so many extra hands, we can more than spare for one of the girls to stay behind and assist him."

Mars scoffed just a little bit, muttering under her breath, "and keep an eye on him…"

The four younger Senshi, who had been alternating through watching the discussion and whispering hurriedly to each other, suddenly twisted around, grabbed their green-haired member and pushed her forward. Ceres was giggling in delight as they did. "Juno will do it!"

"She's always been real good at look-out and stuff!" Pallas added with a playful little jump.

"Hey…" Juno stuttered a bit, her tongue slipping on her protests. "Cut it out. You're makin' me sounds like a wimp…"

Vesta grinned, giving her older sister one last shove and a wink. "There's nothin' to worry about with Jun on the job. She'll _take _real good care of him."

The Queen gave the issue just a moment of thought before she nodded. "Yes, that sounds like a perfect idea."

Juno flushed a dark red and stared at her boots as though they were suddenly the most interesting things in the world.

Kouji, on the other hand, scowled in disgust. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"Doesn't look like it," Junpei grinned at his friend's sour look, leaning in to speak to him a bit more privately. "Look, buddy, I know this isn't gonna be easy for you, but it's the best we can do right now. Just go one day without losing your head or doin' anything weird and you'll be in the clear."

Kouji scowled at him sullenly, but realized that he was on the losing side of the battle and dropped the argument. "Fine. Whatever. I'll stay put…for now."

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

As Takuya looked down at the little world that his rather haphazard go-by-your-gut indirect route had landed them at, he felt a strange little tug in the pit of his stomach. It was as though someone had somehow fed him something with a secret string attached, and was now using that partially-digested hook to pull him into the new land.

The world itself was a strange juxtaposition between black and white, darkness and light, as though it had already been half-consumed by the Heartless. In fact, a decent amount of the land seemed to have been just that - it was spotted with lakes of darkness and fallen black crystals, a forest of destruction with a grand, intimidating black castle rising out of the ruins of its own predecessors. But other areas - particularly the point that seemed furthest from the dark palace - were a shining, glimmering white, gleaming like pearls hidden in volcanic ash.

"Woah," Taichi muttered, leaning one arm against the window-gummi as he craned his head over Takuya's shoulder. "What a weird-looking place."

Agumon popped up beneath the two boys, his head pushing up into Takuya's stomach. "It looks kinda unstable. You think it's really safe, Taichi? Maybe we shouldn't land at all."

The eldest member of the crew shrugged, leaning back to cross his arms as he contemplated the situation. "Well, we've been to some pretty weird worlds before…"

"I think we should go."

Taichi turned to his younger friend and lifted a curious eyebrow. Takuya was holding tight to the Flame Ball, and the shadow from his goggles fell in a strange way, partially covering his eyes and making him look a bit older and more serious than usual. His brown eyes were focused on the planet intently, almost as though he were looking for a sign.

"There's something important going on down there," he muttered, pulling his eyes away and looking at the other two. "I just know it. It's no coincidence that we came here. Something big is going down, and I'll be damned if I miss it. What about you? Can't you feel it?"

Taichi raised an eyebrow and glanced at Agumon. "Can't say that I can…"

"Well, I do, and I'm going," Takuya insisted. "You can just drop me off if you don't want to come along."

"We'd never do that!" Agumon exclaimed. "You know we wouldn't!"

Takuya sighed, palming his forehead, but smiled into his own arm despite himself. There were days when he wondered why he didn't go nuts traveling with these two, and then there were days when he knew he'd have lost it if they hadn't been there. Today was somewhere in between.

"I've just got a…feeling, that's all," he sighed, lifting his head again to look at them with serious eyes. "Something big is going down. Something that we don't want to miss."

Once more, his companions glanced at each other, unsure. Then a wide grin spread over Taichi's face. "Auw, what the heck do we have to lose? Your 'feelings' haven't steered us wrong yet!"

"I've never had a 'feeling' before this."

"See? Haven't done it yet!"

Takuya laughed a bit, and, to their relief, the heavy air was lifted. They paused only long enough to give one last group high-five, then began making preparations for their arrival in the new World…

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Sora crouched on top of one of the fallen crystals, peering over the edge cautiously. His hair was blowing slightly in the wind, tickling his head, and he resisted the urge to scratch it. The area was quiet…far too quiet…and it made him nervous. He hated the silence, the inaction. He wanted something to happen…no, he _needed_ something to happen. All this inactivity was driving him up the wall…

"Sora-kun?"

He jumped and twisted, raising the Keyblade in defense in the same moment that he realized it was only ChibiUsa. The pink-haired girl looked up at him with big garnet eyes, her gloved hand resting on his arm with a gentle touch. "Are you all right? You look tired. Do you feel okay?"

Sora sighed, shaking his head a bit to clear his thoughts. "I'm fine. I was just…thinking."

"About Minamoto-kun?" ChibiUsa asked, quirking her head to one side. "Or the Heartless?"

"Both," Sora shrugged, settling back down and leaning back against the crystal with a sigh. "Just…everything, I guess."

ChibiUsa settled in next to him, pulling her legs up and resting her head on her knees. She blinked up at him cutely, an adorable grin wreathing her small face. "Are you worried?"

"Not really…" Sora sighed, looking up at the nearly starless night sky. "Kouji's too stubborn to let somebody just control him. I just feel kinda bad, leaving him behind like that…"

"It was a little mean," ChibiUsa added helpfully.

Sora sighed again, gripping the Keyblade in his hand. "I'm just tired of every single bad guy in the worlds trying to mess with our heads. First Riku got pulled in by Maleficent…and Hades started messing around with Cloud's head…and now this crazy lady's getting her claws into Kouji. We never bothered any of them, all we ever wanted was our friends back. Why can't all these nutcases just leave us alone?"

ChibiMoon listened patiently, waiting until she was certain that he had finished before she spoke. "I don't think you should worry too much 'bout it. Mama once told me that people who do good work are always pushed around by the ones who don't like them doing it. She says that the bad guys only bother to pick on you if you're doing something really, really good. Otherwise, they think it's just not worth it. If all these people are coming after you, Sora-kun, it must mean you're doing things really, _really_ good!"

Sora blinked and stared, and his face spread into a bit of a grin. He stood, patting the little girl's head with his free hand. "I think I get what you're sayin'. I needed that. Thanks."

"You're welcome," ChibiUsa blushed, her cheeks turning the same shade as her hair, though she hid it somewhat with a little grin as they started back to their exploration. "And you don't have to worry about Minamoto-kun either. Juno's taking real good care of him, I just know it!"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Minamoto-kun?"

Juno knocked on the crystal door gently, her gloved hands muffling the sound until it was nearly ineffective. She pressed her ear against the door and listened, waiting for any sound, but heard nothing - there hadn't been a peep out of the swordsman since the others had left over two hours ago.

The young Scout of Strength scowled, leaning back on her heels as she considered what to do. On one hand, she was _supposed_ to be watching Minamoto to prove that he really wasn't up to anything suspicious, but if she couldn't see him she couldn't actually say that she'd kept an eye on him. On the other hand, if he was doing anything important and she interrupted him, he might never forgive her for it. But - and she shuddered at the thought - if he really _was_ a spy, and was doing something that would put them in danger, it was her duty as a Sailor Senshi to find out and put a stop to it as soon as possible.

And on a completely different hand entirely, if she walked in on him in any kind of…_immodest_…position, she'd never, never, _never_ live it down, especially if Ceres found out…

The girl's pale face flushed a warm pink at the very thought, and she took a moment to properly compose herself before moving to her next thought. She was being stupid. He could be in real danger or had slipped out somehow without her ever noticing, and she would be sitting here debating like an idiot. All she had to do was open the door and _look_.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for just a moment to steel her resolve, then gave the door a forceful push and stepped into the little room.

What she found was…not what she had been expecting. Not bad, exactly, just not what she would have guessed.

Minamoto-kun was sitting cross-legged on the bare crystal floor in the center of the room, with his eyes closed and his hands folded in his lap. His weapon lay on the floor in front of him, within easy reach, but not in contact with his body. He seemed to be concentrating - focusing, very intently, on everything and nothing all at once. His breathing fell into a steady, measured rhythm that seemed, to Juno, to be keeping time with her own heartbeat, and possibly his as well. He hadn't so much as twitched when she entered, completely absorbed in…whatever it was that he was doing.

Even though she knew that she shouldn't, Juno stepped further into the room, growing closer to him with each step. A reasonable part of her mind told her, quite firmly, that she should turn around and leave, now, before she got into some kind of trouble, but the rest of her was simply fascinated by the odd sight.

_"He looks so…focused…"_ she thought, now close enough that she could see every detail of the handsome face. The muscles underneath seemed completely relaxed, as though he was asleep, all except for a certain tenseness around his jaw that kept his mouth closed in a dignified, neutral expression. It was strange, but, somehow, he seemed to be vulnerable and indestructible at the same time.

Juno felt her cheeks flush just a little pink, wondering if she had walked in on something private. Despite that, she stayed right where she was and watched intently.

Suddenly, navy blue eyes shot open in one swift motion, and in another they narrowed at her. "Can I help you?"

"Ah…" Juno backed off, her light blush turning into a deep red flush that spread across her face from ear to ear. "N-No, nothing! I was just…um…checking up on you…"

His narrow gaze never changed, and she could feel the weight of it as though it had been tied to her neck. She turned a darker red, mumbling apologies over and over, and backed away from him awkwardly.

Even more suddenly than before, Kouji's hand shot out and gripped her arm. "You need to slow down," he said slowly, his voice as even as his breathing had been. "Rushing into things will only get you killed."

Juno flushed again, but took a deep breath to steady herself. "O-Oh, really? You don't say…"

Kouji didn't say anything more, just pulled his hand back and resumed his former position. The girl hesitated a moment, debating with herself, then finally moved to sit across from him, mimicking his position as best she could.

A single navy blue eye opened her way. "What now?"

"I'm slowing down." She muttered, clenching her eyes tightly shut. She wondered for a moment if the way that her heart was pounding was as obvious to him as it was to her.

He gazed at her with just one eye for a while longer, then sighed as he let it slip closed again. "You're not doing it right."

"Eh?"

"Meditation is about relaxation and focus," he said simply, repeating the words that his martial arts _sensei _had told him years ago. "You have to relax each part of your body separately before you begin, starting with the toes and moving up until every muscle is completely at rest."

"Oh…" Juno opened one eye of her own, watching the boy as he went through the motions. She could almost see the way that his body unwound, each muscle becoming smooth and relaxed beneath the skin. After a moment, she closed her eyes again and began doing it herself, starting with her feet…her ankles…her knees…her legs…

"Even your breathing needs to relax," Kouji continued without opening his eyes, already beginning to ease into his previous pattern. "Settle into your natural rhythm. It should be close to the same time as your own heartbeat. Find the beat and an clear your mind…"

This was a bit trickier, but eventually Juno figured it out and settled into the relaxed pattern. Minamoto fell silent as well, the sounds of his breathing mingling with her own. A gentle, yet powerful, wave seemed to fill the room, blocking out all outside noise until all that she could hear was their breathing in the empty space.

And she had to think that, just this once, it really was nice to slow down.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Is everyone here?"

Kouji scowled a bit, but had to admit that, for once, it was a perfectly viable question - some of the Senshi had returned to their posts, and two more had joined that he'd never seen before - a dark green-clad woman with elegant, wavy hair, who was checking her appearance in a hand-held mirror; and a younger girl in dark purple with a short, straight hairdo, who sat in the back of the room gripping a long-poled black scythe. She was quiet, but something about her made Kouji nervous - he could feel that she was dangerous.

Queen Serenity gazed over the group that had gathered in the dining hall, taking note of all those present. "Hm…Mercury, Mars, Pluto and Venus are at the Barrier, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am," Uranus reported, taking what seemed to be her standard place as leader when Venus was not around.

"Good. Then everyone is accounted for."

Kouji glanced around the room the room again, locking eyes with Junpei - who seemed perfectly content entertaining Pallas and Ceres with little electric fireflies from his gauntlets - and Sora, who looked more than a little annoyed. Kouji guessed that he'd spent the day trying to talk Uranus and the others out of suspecting them like a bunch of criminals, and from the looks of things, it hadn't worked at all.

ChibiUsa seemed to have noticed Sora's sour disposition as well, and was thus doing the best she could to keep him separated from the rest of the group, mostly by acting as a bit of a buffer by sitting beside him. Vesta, on the other hand, was trying her darn hardest to work Donald into a fury - she was flicking rubber eraser crumbs at him like a grade-schooler tormenting a substitute teacher.

Most of the 'adults' in the room seemed either too preoccupied or too exhausted to take mind to any of this childishness. King Endymion - looking distinctly like the latter even though Kouji was certain he'd spent the entire day inside the castle, in his study - turned to the young swordsman with tired, heavy brown eyes. "Minamoto-kun, I take it that you felt nothing…unusual…throughout the course of the day?"

Kouji scowled, just a little bit, but shook his head. "Nothing."

"I was with him the whole time," Juno added from across the table. "Nothing happened, really."

The air was full of mixed feelings about this - some disbelieving, some relieved, Sora's practically screaming 'I-told-you-so'. Junpei grinned, pausing in his entertainment. "See? I told you it was just a one-time thing. You guys totally overreacted."

"That may be…" Uranus scowled, leaning away from the blue-haired Neptune just a little. "But it's better to be safe than sorry. I say we watch him for another two days, at least."

The Queen sighed, putting a hand to her chest contemplatively. "I'm afraid that we don't have time enough for that, Uranus. The situation has become very…very grave."

Everyone in the group tuned towards her, a heavy atmosphere of caution and silence falling over the gathering. The Queen took just a moment to measure the sudden lack of sound around her, folding her hands gracefully in her lap, before she broke the silence with a gentle sigh.

"Beryl's darkness has spread throughout the world, delving deep into the very core ," she spoke softly. "And with the Keyhole in her possession, she is slowly poisoning the very Heart of the world. It won't be long until the Heartless have completely penetrated the Heart, and this world fades into the Darkness."

Sora's hand tightened over the hilt of the Keyblade. "We can't let that happen."

"And we won't," the Queen assured him, assured them all. "But stopping this will take all of the power that we have available. We need everyone to their part, spell or not."

Junpei glanced at Kouji, who met his eye for a long moment, silently debating the choices in their own minds. The swordsman felt his stomach lurch just a bit at the thought of going after Beryl…that meant going into the Castle…figuring out what had been pulling at him since they got here…finally finding out what Beryl was up to…

He turned back to the Queen, gripping the hilt of the Sager in determination. "All right then. So what's the plan?"

I think that I shall forever be dissatisfied with the way that my chapters end. Bleh.

I somehow managed to get every single one of this solar system's Sailor Senshi to appear at least once in this fic! Whoot, go me. Everything's finally starting to come to a head. And yes, Crystal Tokyo is taking a while. It's a big part of the story. Think of it as this story's Hallow Bastion, and you'll be at about the right track.

(P.S. - This chapter is dedicated to Kathy, for listening to my frustrations, talking with me about plots and giving me a virtual ear for my "Oh my god, I'm moving into my dorm in two weeks, I'm scared!" mild mental breakdown. You rock, Kath.)


	24. Chapter 23: Crystal Tokyo Pt 4

My deepest apologies for taking so stinkin' long with this chapter. Lots of things happened. Lots of very annoying things, including my brain deciding to go into total creative shutdown for the entire two-moth period that my laptop, Donnie, was getting repaired and the various little plot bunnies that my muses kept flitting to, none of which had anything to do with Kingdom Hearts and/or Digimon Frontier. So, again, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, and if you'll forgive me, will you leave me a review, pretty please?

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. The original manga version of_ Sailor Moon _is the exclusive property of Naoko Takeuchi-sensei and, therefore, not mine either. _

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 22: Crystal Tokyo Part 4**

It was cold.

It didn't seem to quite fit, somehow, at least not in Kouji's mind. True, the world around him did look something like frozen crystal wasteland, especially with the full moon painting eerie pictures against the black and silver walls. But the coldness wasn't natural, not for this world, not even for a world made of ice. It just didn't feel like real cold was supposed to feel, it was simply – wrong.

"Minamoto-kun?"

The swordsman shook himself out of his thoughts and glanced at his green-haired companion. Juno was crouched a bit lower than he was, her back pressed against the tall crystal in an attempt to hide the decorative hairstyle that seemed to come with her station. She had one knee pulled up, ready to move if she needed to, and her body remained tense.

"What's wrong?"

Kouji closed his eyes and took one calm, steadying, focusing breath. When he opened them again, his eyes were as serious and cold as ever. "Nothing. There's nothing wrong. Stay focused."

"Oh…" Juno stretched her back into an arch, looking back over the crystal. "Sorry."

Kouji shrugged at her as though he didn't know what she was apologizing for and went back to his watch. His navy blue and black combination was less noticeable than her bright green and white, especially in the shadows that had fallen over this part of the crystal ruins, making it easy for him to act as their look out. All she could do until the plan went into action was keep under cover.

Watching her 'partner' out of the corner of her eye, Juno again cursed her sisters silently in her mind. She never should have told them _anything_, should have been able to keep it quiet, a secret, but _no_…

This was all Vesta's fault. It just had to be. Pallas and Junpei may have been the ones who located the small "servants' entrances" where the Heartless were crawling in and out of Beryl's obsidian-black castle, and Uranus might have been the one to insist that they enter through all four of them at once, just to be sure, but it was _Vesta_ who suggested the split into teams of one Senshi, one friend and insisted that Juno continue to "keep an eye on Minamoto-kun…"

She glanced at Kouji again and blushed just a bit, thinking of how the soft silver of the moonlight really suited him – it was similar to the light his weapon gave off, only more contemplative and… blue. Even with his arm wrapped up as it was – in a silvery metal 'walking cast' created by Mercury, which granted a little extra movement – it made him look so noble. It highlighted his dark form nicely, bringing out his eyes with a bright little gleam, like he could see past everything and look straight into someone's soul…

"Um… Minamoto-kun?"

He glanced at her again out of the corner of his eyes. "What?"

She couldn't quite meet his haunting gaze, so she averted her eyes to focus on his arm, which she motioned to with one hand a bit awkwardly. "Your… Your arm. Is it really okay for you to be out here when it's… like that?"

Kouji glanced down at the cast with an annoyed scowl and pulled it a little closer into his body. He didn't like the dead weight. It threw his balance off a little too much for comfort, but he wasn't going to say that.

"It's nothing. It doesn't matter."

"Oh…"

There was an awkward silence. Juno _hated_ awkward silences.

"How did it…?"

He gave her another slightly cold glance. "'It'… what?"

"Break."

There was another silence, slightly broken by his light sigh and rolled eyes. Juno was just about to apologize for being nosy when he answered. "I got caught in a cave-in and didn't make it all the way out."

"A _cave-in_?" Juno squeaked just a little and hated her voice for it. She turned just a little pink, but all the boy did was nod at her, as though he hadn't even noticed. "But how… why… did you get _hurt_?"

"Obviously," Kouji brandished the arm again and used the other one to pop a crick out of his stiff shoulders. His eyes turned to the icy landscape and up to the partially-cloudy night sky. "Quiet down or they'll hear you."

Juno reddened again with a small apology and she hid her eyes behind a single gloved hand in embarrassment. She was going to _kill_ her sisters for getting her into this mess.

_Especially_ Vesta. Splitting up into pairs was her idea to start with.

"_Hey, Kouji, Jun,"_ a burst of static announced Junpei's voice over the communicator in Juno's compact. She jumped and scrambled to get it out, holding it at arm's length so that Kouji could hear it clearly as well. "_We just got the signal from up top, T-minus fifteen seconds. You guys go?"_

Kouji reached out and took the communicator from Juno's hand, pressing the transmit button with his thumb to take over the airway for a bit. "All clear here. What about you guys?"

This time, the response was a little giggle and Pallas's perky, happy little voice. "_We're good, we're good! Junpei-onii-san an' me are ready when you are!"_

A second later there was another static burst and Sora joined it. "_We're all set, too."_

"_Ready for anything!" _ChibiUsa added, with a muffled rustle that indicated she was reaching forward past Sora's jacket to reach the communicator, too. "_Just say the word!"_

The third buzz was accompanied by Donald's pained squawk and a squishing sound. Vesta snickered as she added in her own two cents. "_No worries here. Lady and the duck are go." _

A final little hiss echoed through the crystal as Ceres and Goofy checked in their own affirmative. Once everyone had done so, Kouji turned the com off for just a second, lowering his good arm to rest against the hard crystal, and turned to Juno. This time, he looked her directly in the eyes, and she couldn't bring herself to glance away. "Ready?"

The green girl nodded, unable to blink from the hypnosis of the blue-and-silver gaze. "Uh-huh."

"Good," he brought the communicator back up to his mouth and pressed the call button again. "All accounted for. Let's move."

He clicked off the little receiver and handed it back to the girl with a little flick of his wrist. In the same motion, he reached down to his belt and pulled the Sager out of its place, a light click and a buzz extending the glowing blade out to its full length. He placed one hand on top of the crystal and vaulted to the other side, taking just a moment to glance back at her. "C'mon."

"Right!" She nodded and jumped out of her position to join him. Two seconds later, they had taken off across the icy landscape with Juno's planet power-enhanced speed putting her in the lead.

Similar affirmations over the com' link indicated that the other four teams had begun their assaults as well, and the battle was just about to be under way…

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Woah. This place is weird."

Takuya tried to hold in his laugh at Taichi's comment, but it didn't quite work and came out as a half-muffled chuckle. It wasn't that the comment itself was anything to be tickled over, but the way that he'd said it – accompanied by a little whistle in the stark silence of the deserted, crystalline landscape – seemed so completely inappropriate and impulsive that he just had to laugh.

"Yeah, it is kinda strange…" he looked around, juggling the deactivated flame ball on his knee lazily. "But it's no weirder than that place where everybody kept changing into animals…Or the whack-job city before that."

"True that," Taichi chuckled, brushing his brown bangs out of his eyes with his left hand. His right hand still grasped the little blue Digivice that he carried with him so protectively. Takuya had never really blamed him – if he'd had his D-Tector, he would have done the same thing, plus, Taichi had no other way of defending himself without Agumon's help.

It just seemed so _obvious_ to him all of a sudden.

He frowned a little bit at the thought and twisted his leg into a kick he'd learned from Kouji – a blending of a bicycle kick and a martial arts move. The ball alighted almost immediately with a hiss of smoke and careened into the crystal wall, leaving a large black scorch mark before it shot into the air like a miniature sun.

Agumon let out a little screech of surprise, leaping backwards into Taichi as the Ball came spinning back down, its flame dissipating just before it landed in Takuya's hands. "Jeez, what was that for?"

"What's the matter, Takuya?" Taichi asked hesitantly, his shoulders tensing. "Did you see something?

Takuya tossed the ball up, letting it spin through the air for a moment _without_ catching flame before he caught it again. He shrugged. "No reason. I just felt like doing it."

Taichi nearly fell over. "You _what?_ Takky, buddy, you've got to be kidding me! We don't know what kind of Heartless are around here, they could be all over us!"

"But they're not."

The older boy paused, glanced around and, indeed, found a total lack of Heartless within his general line of sight. In fact, other than the scorch mark, absolutely nothing had changed about the somewhat lifeless crystal landscape. "Uh… yeah, you're right."

"But that's not the point!" Agumon exclaimed, waving his arms. "What if they _had_?"

"Then we would have fought 'em," Takuya shrugged again, spinning the ball on the tip of one finger. "But they didn't, so we don't have to worry about it. C'mon, let's keep moving."

He started off down the path again at a leisurely pace. Taichi and Agumon remained behind a moment, watching his back worriedly before they glanced at one another. "Hey, Agumon? Is Takuya acting… kinda weird, to you?"

"Hm…" The orange dinosaur-type Digimon pursed his thick, scaly lips together in a contemplative manner, though he mostly just succeeded in looking silly. "Kinda…"

Taichi frowned, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared after his friend. Over the past several weeks, he'd found that he'd grown rather fond of his traveling companion… as fond as he'd ever been of Daisuke, or Takeru or any of the other 'second generation' DigiDestined of his world. If he was honest, he saw more than a little of himself in the kid, which is why he _tried_ - and often failed - to be the 'responsible one' on the ship.

It never really worked all the way. Lighthearted irresponsibility was simply in his nature…But at least he tried.

In the past few days, however, he'd found that his 'responsible leader' side was having to assert itself more and more, lest his young companion 'feel' their way into more trouble than their little team could handle. The balance between them had been thrown off.

And the fact that Takuya was, apparently, no longer willing to step up and take over the slack that Taichi couldn't quite get a grasp on was worrying.

_Very_ worrying.

"I think we need to keep an eye on him, Agumo-"

He was cut off by a high-pitched shriek (which had most certainly _not_ come from Takuya) from up ahead, followed by Takuya's voice. "Guys, get over here, _now!_"

The two voices were suddenly knocked out by a loud, ringing explosion that shook the crystal around them and scattered dust in all directions. Agumon leapt forward the moment he could get a stable grip on the ground, leaping over the fallen black rocks, with Taichi right on his heels. The young man gripped the blue Digivice in his palm so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and the adrenaline that pushed through him surged straight into his legs to leap over the crystal wreckage without pause.

On the other side, he found Takuya, as expected, knocking off row after row of Heartless with each flaming power-house kick. On one side of him was a small girl with elaborate pink hair, twisting and twirling through the motions of prism-pink spells of an obviously plant-based nature; on the other, a strange-yet-familiar dog-like create whacking those few Heartless that managed to struggle past the other two away with a shield.

Taichi recognized the second newcomer the instant he had a clear view - it was Goofy, one of the ones who'd been traveling with Takuya's friend Kouji, which meant that Sora kid was around here, somewhere, too. That thought was quickly followed by the appearance of a second wave of Heartless, and Taichi's battle instincts took over just in time.

"Agumon, Digivolve, now!"

The little orange Digimon leapt free of the crystal ruins and, with a rush of power and light, was quickly replaced by the larger, stronger, more powerful Greymon, whose landing alone took out two dozen of the little black beasts. Taichi jumped from the crystal to land on Greymon's shoulder, directing the movements of his massive attacks from above.

Despite the sudden advantage brought on by the appearance of the huge Digimon, the Heartless seemed to double almost instantly, and they found themselves only barely able to keep up. Greymon couldn't use his more… fiery… attacks for fear of getting their teammates caught up in the blaze, limiting him to remarkably effective kicks and swipes, but the Heartless kept coming. Every time one was destroyed, three more seemed to pop up. It was like they were spawning…

"Hell. This isn't good…" Taichi muttered, nibbling on his lip. "We could really be in over our…"

Suddenly, Takuya's voice broke in from the fray. "This way!"

Taichi twisted to follow the call, finding the younger boy standing half-in and half-out of a tiny crevice in the side of a tall black structure which, despite the swarming everywhere else, the Heartless seemed to be avoiding like the plague.

If he'd been in any other situation, Taichi might have taken a moment to realize that this was strange. He would have thought to himself that there was something very odd about that, that there must have been a reason for it all, and it wasn't likely to be a good one, and they were likely to be heading straight into a trap.

But at the moment he was being swarmed by Heartless, and Takuya had already half-tossed the goofy-looking Knight into the little crevice and was in the midst of clearing the way for the dancing flower-girl, and the Heartless were showing no sign of slowing down their attacks, and they really, really just needed to get out of there and find some place to _clear their heads_…

The moment Goofy was safely hidden in the recesses of the little crevice, Taichi slid down Greymon's back, flying off the tip of his tail to sail past Takuya and into the darkness of the hidden crack. Agumon followed him, on foot, two seconds later.

The Heartless didn't follow.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, responsible-Taichi knew that he should have been worried about that, too.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Sora twisted in mid-attack, swiping the Keyblade around in an arch and taking out half a dozen Heartless in one shot. He slid back a few feet, kicking off the ground to catch a brief moment of lift from the nearest breeze and gaining the slightest bit of high ground against the wall of the little 'servant's quarters' hall.

He did a quick scan up and down the hallway, taking into account the trickling number of Heartless coming their way. It wasn't that bad, he concluded - halfway through the maze-like lower levels of the castle, and there were only a few Heartless, in comparison. The only thing he could figure was that the older Senshi's battle up top was creating enough of a distraction for their little 'infiltration' to be…

"Sora-kun, watch out!"

Sora glanced up just in time to catch a rapid Neo-Shadow on the edge of the Keyblade, holding it off. He grunted a bit, planting his feet and struggling under the force of the dark attack before finally… "_Crystal Rose!"_

A delicate, glowing crystal rose shot from his right, stabbing into the side of the Heartless's head and knocking it off of Sora and into the wall, before it finally disappeared with a puff of smoke.

Sora sighed and straightened, grinning at ChibiUsa. "Thanks."

"It was nothing," the girl flushed, her cheeks turning as pink as her hair.

Sora brushed his hair out of eyes, twirling the Keyblade around in his hand as he started back down the hall again. He kept the weapon tight at his side, ready for an attack, but kept his stance open enough that his companion wouldn't feel threatened or frightened.

After all, she was just a little girl.

"You doin' okay, Princess?" He asked over his shoulder, his voice softening. "Not wearing yourself out, are you?"

"I'm fine," ChibiMoon pouted just a little as she caught up to him. "But you don't have to call me that, Sora-kun."

"Does it bother you?"

Garnet eyes peaked out from under pink bangs. "A little."

"Ah, I'm sorry," Sora rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, checking around the corner just for a moment to make sure there wasn't any kind of surprise attack on the other side. "I'm not used to dealing with royalty, outside of a few closer friends, you know? And some folks are really formal about that kind of thing… like Kouji. He gets real picky about proper titles and all that stuff. I can never keep anything straight."

"You don't have to worry about that," ChibiUsa said softly, grabbing Sora's hand with both of her own. His hands weren't really much bigger than hers, but the way that she held on - one hand pressed into the palm, the other sandwiching it on top - felt closer. More real. "I've never liked titles much anyway. Just call me whatever's comfortable."

Sora quirked a little bit of a grin and gave her hand a supportive squeeze. "Okay then. Sounds good to me… ChibiUsa."

There was barely time for the little girl's blush to darken before a scream echoed through the hall, breaking off their conversation. "_Help!_ Somebody help me!"

"That's Pallas!" ChibiMoon twisted around with a gasp.

"C'mon!" Sora grabbed onto the Keyblade with both hands and darted forward, leading the way deeper into the maze. "It came from this way!"

The pair slipped around three corners and down two more halls before they finally found the place where the screams were echoing from - a large tunnel, with half of the floor missing in favor of a long drop into a small river of sewage below. Pallas dangled about three feet from the ledge, holding onto an outcrop of rock just barely with one hand.

"Pallas!" ChibiMoon dropped to the ground instantly and slid out as far as she could, reaching out for her friend and teammate with one arm. "Here, grab on!"

The little blue-haired girl sniveled a bit - she'd always been the crybaby of the sisters, the gentle one, even Sora could tell that in the time he'd been there - and reached out for the gloved hand with her own. There were a good three inches between her fingertips and the princess's "I… I can't… It's too far!"

ChibiMoon bit her lip and tried to stretch even further, but it didn't do any good until a pair of larger, stronger hands wrapped around her thin waist. She twisted and found herself eye-to-eye with Sora, whose blue eyes were narrowed in concentration.

"Keep going," he urged, tightening his grip. "I've got you, you get her."

The young princess-solider didn't hesitate, just paused long enough to smile, and slid out further than she would have dared to go had someone not been holding onto her. Dangling off the edge, she quickly closed the gap between their two reaches and grabbed Pallas's arm firmly by the wrist.

Sora hoisted ChibiMoon back up onto the ledge, then reached out to help Pallas up as well. The second-eldest of the Asteroid Senshi drew in a few short, haphazard breaths, closing her eyes with a final sigh. "Oh, thank god… thank you…"

"What happened, Palla?" ChibiUsa asked gently, using the girl's childhood nickname as she carefully slipped her hair back into place. "What are you doing here?"

Sora planted the Keyblade on the ground and leaned against it as he knelt. "Where's Junpei? Wasn't he with you?"

"Junpei-onii-san… He… He…" Pallas sniveled again and rubbed her eyes with her knuckles, trying to get herself under control. "We got inside and… he started acting so _weird_. He wouldn't say anything or listen to me or… anything! And then we ran into some Heartless and I couldn't see him anymore and… and…"

She burst into tears, right on the spot, and Sora immediately backed off. He'd always been on okay terms with kids younger than he was, but crying had never been something he'd been able to handle. The few times he'd taken care of the little kids on the Islands, he'd always let Kairi take over when they started to cry, because she was good at stuff like that.

Luckily, it seemed that ChibiUsa was good at it, too.

"It's okay…" the little pink-haired girl cooed softly, kneeling down to place a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, we're here. We'll figure out what's wrong."

Keeping the supportive hand in place, she glanced up at Sora with worry in her garnet-red eyes. "Do you think…?"

"Yeah," the boy nodded, finishing the sentence in his head and frowning at the very thought. "It sounds like the same thing that got Kouji before. Beryl's playing with both of their heads." Pallas sniveled and sniffed, rubbing her eyes with her fists. "We… We gotta help them…"

"We will," ChibiUsa soothed, slipping her arm around the other girl kindly. "Don't worry… we'll help them. We'll get that witch, don't you worry…"

Sora bit his tongue before the quiet, doubtful part of his mind - the part that sounded distinctly like Kouji - could have a chance to vocalize itself: "_Unless she manages to get us, first…"_

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Ow! Watch it, duck!"

"You watch it!" Donald squawked, lost his footing, and tumbled out of the little shoot that couldn't really be called anything except what it was – an air duct, and a dusty, old-fashioned one at that. The white-feathered mages coughed and sputtered, blowing dust out of his beak with wet sputters and pawing at his face with the flat of his wings.

A second later, Sailor Vesta tumbled out of the shoot behind him – or, rather, right on top of him. She let out a little shriek as she landed, squashing him to the floor, and rolled off, the decorative balls twisted into her hair bouncing off the backs of her neck and his head.

Donald yanked himself up off the floor with a pained jerk, all of his feathers sticking up in all different directions. "Hey! That hurt!"

"Well, it wasn't exactly easy for me, either!" She snapped, twisting around to glare at him, and knocked him up the side of the head with the flat of one hand. "I told you to watch where you were going! Now we don't even know where we…"

A ringing tone, like a bell being struck just once, cut her off with such a reverberating peace that both of the pair fell silent. Vesta straightened, keeping her body tense, and pushed a lock of hair back into place as she did. "Okay… what was that?"

Donald hopped up, brandishing his wand in preparation for an attack, but none came. Instead, something – he hated to admit it, but it was true – shiny caught his eye, and his attention was suddenly focused on center of the room. "Lookit that!"

"Hey…!" Vesta shouted as her 'partner' scrambled forward, and she darted after him. "What's the matter with you, duck? We've got to… Woah."

The 'shiny thing' turned out to be a tall, cylindrical case, made of inch-thick clear crystal and lifted from the floor by a base of what appeared to be solid obsidian. Inside, a length of brown rope was partially uncurled, rising from its wound base like a charmed snake, lifting a leafy 'head' towards the black cap that topped the crystal pillar. To say that the object - the whip, as the fortified green 'hilt' indicated - was contained in the case was less accurate than saying that it had been trapped there and was fighting to get out.

And it wasn't the only one - there were ten cases, all identical, spread out through the huge circular 'throne' room, all settled into position around an elaborately-decorated, glowing circle. Some of the cases - about half of them, from what Vesta could tell at a glance - were empty, but the rest were full, and not just with items. **[B.N.: O.O**

Vesta's eyes widened as she realized what else the witch had trapped, and stepped over into the circle to investigate. "Cripes, duck, there're _people_ in these things!"

"People?" Donald pulled his eyes away from the shiny case and its whip to join her. The case that she was looking at contained a slim girl with shoulder-length red hair, her blue-green eyes clouded over with the power of a spell, her mind lost in an oblivion of unconsciousness. A large blue bauble, which reminded Vesta of Pallas's Amazonian Gems, dangled on a silver chain around her neck and was glowing softly like the reflection of a full moon off the ocean.

Donald's eyes widened. "Kairi!"

Vesta turned so fast that her hair 'jewels' nearly wrapped around her neck. "You know this chick?"

"She's Sora's girlfriend!" Donald sputtered, not thinking as he darted around the case, looking for any way to get into the completely solid crystal.

Vesta's eyes widened. "Sora's got a girlfriend?"

Donald ignored her, still frantically looking for a way to break into the twisted display case. "We gotta get her out of there!"

"But what about the rest of them…?"

Vesta turned her garnet eyes to each of the other cases, studying the subjects and each of their 'glowing things.' To one side of the 'Kairi' girl there was a smaller, younger boy with mousey brown hair, balanced precariously atop a dark green board, which was held three inches from the 'ground' of the case by a sea foam green glow. Three spaces away from him, almost on the other side of the circle, was a pale blonde with a glowing purple ring around her ankle. The other cases were empty, save for an indistinct, swirling brown mass that didn't seem to hold any real form at all.

As she passed over the cases, something else caught her eye. Something down the small hallway that could be seen just past the gap between two of the odd trophies. Something that seemed to be _moving_.

Moving towards them.

Hell.

"Get down!" She hissed, and dove at Donald's back. She seized him around the shoulders as they rolled, ducking into the shadows of the excessively gothic crystal architecture. Donald let out a few half-muffled squawks of protest, but Vesta clamped her hand around his beak to cut them off.

Two seconds later, Queen Beryl of the Negaverse strode into the room, her tall staff clicking against the ground as she walked, the regality of her unnaturally perfect posture seeming to emphasize just how _not right_ she really was.

The dark Queen moved around the large room like a cold breeze, her pale skin almost glowing in the sickly, pale light. Her icy red eyes were strangely glazed over, as though she was in a trance. She brushed right past Vesta's and Donald's hiding spot, the hem of her dress passing just inches from the edge of the Sailor Scout's toes, but didn't notice either of them. She seemed to be almost in rapture, her thin fingers tracing over the cases with an admiring little sigh.

"Beautiful," she whispered worshipfully, a well-manicured nail slipping into the decorative carvings. "Simply beautiful**. S**oon, the circle will finally be complete…"

She stepped forward, breaking the unspoken 'barrier' created by the glowing chalk, and moved to the center of the circle. She planted her staff and lifted her head to gaze upward at the high, domed ceiling. After a moment, her eyes slipped closed, her arms rested at her sides, and she stilled completely, until she almost seemed to become a garnet-and-onyx statue. The only movement was the soft fluttering of her purple-painted lips, whispering a chant of voiceless words that were absorbed by the air the moment they were spoken.

When it became clear, after five minutes, that Beryl was not planning to move from that position, Vesta's hand slipped away from Donald's beak. The mage shook himself, setting his feathers back in order, and kept his eyes on the witch-Queen. "What's she doin'?"

"I don't know…" Vesta nibbled on her bottom lip. "But, somehow, I don't think it's going to be good…"

_**TBC…**_

I created the "Crystal Rose" attack because I figured that ChibiMoon would grow up a bit over the years…It's a combination of her mother's and father's techniques, because ChibiMoon needs a better offensive solo move than her still-in-training "Pink Sugar Heart Attack."

Again, I'm so, so, _so_ sorry for taking so long with this! This chapter was just so painful to force out, and I'm _still_ not happy with it, but at the very least, I got it finished, and I got some of the key points set up, so the next chapter should pick up a bit. Again, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, _please_ leave a review, because it's nice and it motivates me to write and I really, really need that right now…


	25. Chapter 24: Crystal Tokyo Pt 5

And, with this chapter, I am officially back from my month-long winter hiatus. Once again, more apologies on my part for taking so long on this chapter. It's been…god…two months…and I swear I'm not forgetting about this story, really. It's just…college. And holidays. And…well, if anybody has any suggestions on how I can do better, I'll take them. I hate feeling like I'm talking to myself…when I'm talking to the internet, that is…

Thanks to Pinky for beta'ing…gamma'ing…looking over this chapter in Syaoran-san's absence. My online circle of friends is made up of the coolest people.

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. The original manga version of_ Sailor Moon _is the exclusive property of Naoko Takeuchi-sensei and, therefore, not mine either. _

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 24: Crystal Tokyo Part 5**

"Minamoto-kun? Minamoto-kun, where _are_ you?"

Juno tried to keep her voice low and under control, projecting the whisper to bounce down the abandoned sewer tunnel, but it was a difficult struggle against the panic rising from her stomach. The way had been mostly clear, for a decent while, until a swarm of Heartless had cut across their path from a perpendicular tunnel. It wasn't a large swarm, by any matter of means, and just one of her Thunder Barrage attacks had taken out almost all of them, but by the time the dust had cleared, Minamoto-kun was nowhere in sight.

It wasn't like Juno was _panicking_ or anything. No, she was perfectly calm, controlled, or at least she would be once she got her breathing under control. What had Minamoto-kun said? Deep breaths, stay calm, slow your heart…

She wondered for a split moment if it was possible to meditate while one was walking, before something caught her foot in the dark and she fell, rolling at the last minute to avoid the rather disgusting water flowing down the path. Juno twisted onto her side, lifting one hand to knock her attacker's block off, and stopped when she realized that there was no block to knock off.

Instead, she found herself looking at a young man, older than her but younger than Jupiter and the other Senshi, sprawled over the ground, most of his form hidden by a heavy black robe. Her foot had caught on his weapon, a tall black staff, that was held to the ground only by the figure's limp hand resting atop it. As she watched, the formerly-unmoving fingers tensed, curling around the weapon just slightly as its owner groaned.

"Hey…" she crawled forward on her hands and knees to kneel next to him, shaking his shoulder as gently as she could. She didn't want to hurt him any more than he already might be. "You okay? _Hey_."

The boy groaned and lifted his head just enough that the hood fell off, revealing a mop messy of blue-black hair. He kept his head down, the hair falling around his face to cover it, bracing one hand against his forehead with a pained little groan. "What…?"

"Dude, you okay?" Juno leaned a bit closer, dropping her head in an attempt to get glimpse of his face, but the hair was too thick. "You don't look so good. You hurt?"

"I don't…no," the boy shook his head and lowered his hand. "Just a little shell-shocked…"

He looked up, revealing dark blue eyes and Juno jerked backwards with a little gasp. Those eyes, the nose and forehead, it was all the same. His face was identical to Minamoto-kun's, right down to the shape of his chin and cheekbones, with only the lack of bruises and scruff marks as the only indicator that there was any difference at all.

For a moment, Juno just stared at him, slack-jawed, and then her brain managed catch up. "Mina…Minamoto-kun?"

The boy looked at her, his eyes narrowed into something…dark, something almost frightening…before they closed again. He gave his head a few little shakes, as though clearing water from his ears, and opened them again. "No, I…you…you know…Kouji?"

His voice was softer than Minamoto-kun's, gentler. Not exactly 'feminine', per say, but…softer. His movements, what little she could see as he shifted beneath his robe, were less controlled, more subtle and refined. He looked at her with an open expression, his eyes wide with confusion, but no fear, simply trying to figure out who she was and how she knew…what she knew.

"I, uh…yes." Juno nodded, and made sure that her face was serious. "He's, uh… here somewhere. Or…he was." She shook herself, the jeweled bobs of her hair bouncing around like jingle bells. "He's around. We'll catch up with him eventually…I'm Juno."

The boy blinked at her, then let a smile cross over his features. Something about the expression made Juno's stomach flip-flop, and not in the way that Minamoto-kun made it happen. Something about it just didn't seem entirely right, like his face muscles were being pulled in ways they weren't meant to be.

"It's nice to meet you, Juno. I'm Kouichi."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Hey, guys?"

Agumon glanced up at his partner, leaning one shoulder down just far enough that his claws were leaving scratch marks in the soft black crystal floor. "What is it, Tai?"

"Did you ever get one of those really bad feelings?" the formerly goggle-wearing teen frowned, looking around him cautiously. "Like, one of those feelings like you just _know_ something is really, really wrong, but you can't quite put your finger on what it is?"

Now Ceres and Goofy were turning back to join their conversation, the girl looking over her shoulder adorably and the knight turning to walk backwards in a somewhat clumsily manner. Takuya, at the head of their little group, didn't turn. He just kept moving straight down the hall.

"Gawrsh, can't say that I have," Goofy hyuck'ed, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly and stumbling a little in his steps.

"I don't think anything's _wrong_, really…" Ceres looked up at Taichi with big, red-pink eyes that reminded him just the slightest bit of his sister. "But it _is_ awfully strange. You'd think there'd be a lot more Heartless around than just this."

Taichi sighed with relief. "So I'm not imagining it. At the risk of sounding like an old cliché, this is all just…too easy."

Ceres frowned, the expression looking more like a pout with her big eyes and childishly-round face. "But easy is a good thing, isn't it?"

"Not if it's leading us into a trap…"

Takuya stopped so suddenly that Goofy ran into him, toppling to the side with a pained yelp. Ceres shrieked a little, barely making it over him with a bit of a hop, skip and a jump maneuver that let her clear him by mere centimeters. "Don't _do_ that!"

The boy didn't react to either the shriek or the yelp, instead bringing the Ball into his gloved hands and igniting it with a twitch of his wrist. Taichi jumped back, pulling his Digivice into a tight fist against his side, and tensed all over. "Takuya, what is it?"

Takuya didn't say anything, at least, anything comprehensible, as he mumbled something wordless and twisted back to face them again. Taichi got a five-second look at the way Takuya's brown eyes had grown blank and foggy, before he suddenly punted the Ball at him with an unexpected amount of force and Agumon had to tackle his partner out of the way of the flaming sphere.

Taichi rolled with the blow, ducking under the Sphere as it bounced off the wall and came hurtling back at them with an elastic ricochet. He was up on his knees a moment later, tossing Agumon back to his feet. "What the hell, man?"

"Taichi-san!" Ceres gasped, already on her feet, and darted forward. "**Bind, Golden Grains!"**

On the last word of her invocation, gleaming whips of gold shot from the nothingness just behind her, looping around her arm to shoot at Takuya as though they'd been shot from a cannon. They hit him hard, knocking him off his feet and wrapping around his upper body and binding them to his sides. Ceres broke off the attack, snatching hold of the golden whisks with both hands, yanking the suddenly-solid binds back.

Takuya curved away from the attack, turning back to the girl with an athletic bicycle kick. With her hands tangled in the attack, Ceres was unable to defend herself and was knocked back. The minute she let go of her magic, it disappeared, and Takuya twisted out of its grip to grab the Ball as it came shooting back at him.

"Takuya!" Taichi launched himself at the other boy, curling his arms in defensively to hit Takuya elbows-first. Takuya's reactions were as good as ever, but oddly slow, so Taichi swept him right off his feet and knocked the Sphere out of his hands.

The two boys hit the ground and rolled until Taichi had the smaller figure pinned under him, his elbows digging into the other's shoulders. "Takuya! What the hell is _wrong_ with you?"

"Uh…wha?"

The younger boy blinked a few times, and the fuzziness of his eyes cleared just a little bit. Taichi could almost see the light in the depths of the pupil. "Taichi…what?"

"Tai', look out!"

Taichi snapped his head up and rolled to the side just as the Ball came back at him. He pressed his back against the ground as the flaming sphere shot over his head, charring the edges of his hair, and bounced again off the wall to his right directly over the same path.

Takuya was suddenly on his feet again, catching the ball in his hand, and the sight vanished from his eyes again. The dark, muddy orbs scanned around the group again, and his expression slipped into the cold murderousness again.

Something clicked together in Taichi's mind. "It's the Ball! Something's wrong with the Ball! Get it away from him!"

Takuya twisted at Taichi's voice and hurled the ball at him with another powerful kick, missing only because the older boy rolled out of the way at the last possible second. It ricocheted off the floor and shot to the ceiling, angling off to come at Ceres again.

The little Sailor Scout braced herself, digging her feet into the ground, and crossed her arms in front of her at the wrist. The Ball collided with her and pushed her back several feet until she had her back pressed against the wall, and still the fireball pushed at her and spun. The protective material of the white gloves began to wear away, burning into a brittle black and smoking with the fury of the flame.

Ceres held it as long as she could, biting her lip against the heat, then hooked her arms around and bumped it with both wrists like a volley ball serve. "Goofy!"

The dog guard turned with a bright hyuck, understanding the girl's plan in seconds. Just as the ball came at him, he raised his shield and angled its ricochet further down the hall. "Here yeh go, Agumon!"

Takuya turned as the ball shot past him in a way he - or whatever it was that had him - obviously hadn't been planning, but before he could stop it, Agumon leapt up and snatched the Sphere out of the air. Carrying it, still spinning, in the tips of his claws, the little orange dinosaur ran as far down the hall as he could stand it before tossing the burning weapon into the air. "Taichi!"

"It's mine!"

The older boy kicked off the wall and, with all the skill he'd garnered through years of soccer practice, nailed the Ball with the hardest kick he could. His sneaker started to smoke with the heat of the flame, and the smell of burnt rubber filled the air, but the Ball went flying as clean as a goal kick, shooting down the hall like a canon ball and disappearing into the darkness until it was nothing but a spark.

Takuya groaned, putting a hand to his head, and wobbled down to kneel on one knee. Goofy and Ceres were there in a second, still tense from the battle. "Gwarsh, you okay?"

"Are you all right, Takuya-kun?" Ceres asked gently, resting one nearly glove-less hand on his shoulder.

The boy groaned again, rubbing his temples, and glanced up at them with brown eyes that were now completely clear. He glanced between them all in confusion, wrinkling his nose at the sudden smells. "What happened? And…Christ, Ceres, what happened to your hands?"

The girl smiled just a little bit and pulled her hands away to check them. "Don't worry. I'm tougher than I look. This'll be fine."

"At least _something_ is," Taichi muttered, crossing his hands over his chest. He glared down in the direction that the Ball had disappeared in, his eyes narrowed as though he expected it to come back full-force and try to take them all out. "There's something rotten here, guys. Something about this place is really, _really_ wrong…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Hey. Hey, buddy. Wake up. Hey!"

_SLAP!_

"Ow!"

Riku sat straight up, one hand snapping to his sore left cheek and the other reaching for the Soul Stealer. He barely realized that he'd nearly knocked heads with someone white and feathered - _Donald? _The _King's_ Donald? - before a little red haired girl in a ridiculously cute sailor uniform dove at him and covered his mouth with both of her hands.

"Keep quiet, would you?" She snapped, her voice stalling at a rough, reedy whisper. Riku attempted to protest, but she pushed her hands at him a bit harder. "Shush!"

Riku frowned behind the hands, but fell silent. The girl and the familiar duck-mage that was with her held their position for a few minutes longer, and seemed to be holding their breath along with it. When nothing disturbed the silence of the room for long enough that Riku was almost tempted to bite at the fingers to get rid of them, they both let out their breaths in a collective sigh and the hands were quickly removed.

"Oh-kay…" Riku sat up with a frown, glancing between them suspiciously, but keeping his voice down cautiously. "What the hell was that about?"

The girl rolled her eyes, and Riku got a flash of garnet from their irises. Huh. Eyes were not usually red in _that_ manner. "Is he always this noisy?"

"Oh, putta sock in it," Donald muttered, scrambling around to Riku's other side. He pointed over the boy with one wing, motioning out of their little hiding-crouch into the center of the room. "Lookit _that_."

Riku looked, and the mild frown became even further ingrained onto his face.

The room was vast and dark, lit only by the strange way that the ten cases on the edge of the circle seemed to glow unnaturally, their colors refracting out into the pale, white light of the chalk itself like the shards of a shattered stain-glass window. Riku couldn't see the cases or their contents quite clearly enough, but the shield still attached to his arm seemed to understand more than he did, shimmering in the shadows of their hiding place and vibrating in time with the other items. There was a woman there in the middle of it all, tall and pale with a violent mane of blood-red hair, staring up at a point in the ceiling as though she'd been hypnotized.

When Riku traced his eyes up to follow her trail of sight, he found that said point in the ceiling really _was_ quite fascinating. It was though all of the lights in the circle, as well as most of the shadows in the surrounding room, were being absorbed into a black hole the size of a quarter. The colors and the blackness swirled around the point in a slowly-expanding spiral, moving with agonizing slowness, like not-quite-dry paint slowly pushing down a half-clogged drain.

The young warrior took it all in with a few quick glances, then frowned at Donald and his 'companion.' "Okay. So what _is_ 'that'?"

"Beats us," the girl shrugged, the red bangles on her hair bouncing around. "We were hoping you'd know. You came out of it."

Riku blinked. "I…what?"

"Well, it sure _looked _like you came out of it…" Donald squawked in a way that somehow managed to be both impatient and introspective at the same time.

"You nearly landed on us," the girl scowled, leaning back against the wall again. They were still hiding, crouched under a decorative outcropping at the very edge of the rounded room, but her stance was anything but cautious. If anything, she looked almost bored. "Outta nowhere, there was this couple'a big noises - BOOM, FWOOM, zap, zowie and pow - and even though witchy-lady didn't flutter an eyelash, _you_ came tumbling in on top of us with one of those Heartless-bug-things on your arm. So we blasted the bug before it could cause any trouble, not that you were any help, and…"

"_Hold_ it," Riku twisted around and grabbed the girl by both of her tiny little shoulders. "What did you say?"

"That you were absolutely _no_ help," her grin spread out a bit more, and the red eyes gleamed with the delight of a trickster. "Not that I can blame yeh, really, since you were kinda out of it, but…"

Riku took a deep breath and blew it out again through his gritted teeth. "Not that. What was that about a Heartless?"

The girl watched him a moment, as though making sure that he wasn't trying to lure her into some kind of trap or joke, then shrugged. "What's there to say? The little bug was holdin' onto your hand, all bunched up in this goofy-looking little ball. The hardest part was getting it far enough away from yeh that we didn't break any fingers. Which was tougher than you'd really think it should be - you were holding on something fierce."

Riku's frowned deepened as his fingers uncurled from her shoulders, instead coming to grip into fists against each other tensely. "That can't be…It's not right…"

Donald's face slipped into something serious for once, his eyes widening at the tone in Riku's voice. "What's the matter?"

"Jeez, buddy," the girl blinked, cocking her head to one side. "What's the matter?"

"It's not right!" Riku looked up at them both, snapping his head up. "I was with the King and…!"

He was cut off in mid-sentence by the sudden jerk that grabbed him by the elbow and nearly dragged him straight off his feet. He'd slid a full two feet, held in place only by his own controlled efforts at traction and his companions jumping to hold him down, before he finally realized what was happening.

The Shield no longer seemed content to just sit humming and shimmering. Its color, shifting between an icy green and a glistening silver, had grown to an all-out electric glow no different than the cases around the circle, and bits of it were starting to join with the others in the swirling mess of the 'black hole.'

"Okay, _now_ what?" The girl grunted, getting a better hold on Riku's waist and struggling for the smallest bit of grip on the slick surface of the crystal floor. "What the hell is going on?"

Riku grunted and grit his teeth again, pulling against the force on his arm. "You're asking me…?"

"Magic! It's magic! It's starting up fer real!" Donald squawked, scrambling in front of the boy and pushing from the other side, his feet sliding rather uselessly in place as he pointed over his shoulder. "Look!"

Beryl was talking now - no, chanting, chanting soft words in a dark language that burned at their ears and seemed to sear through the air like a hot poker. Her dark-painted eyelids fluttered a moment, the chants increasing in tempo, and the jerks became stronger and faster.

Riku grunted at the sudden jolts, and briefly debated whether the force was going to pull his arm out of its socket. Then he questioned whether losing his arm was really any worse than whatever Beryl was planning for him…for the Shield…for whatever.

And under it all, the same questions kept asking over and over: What was happening? Where was he now? Where was the King? Where was Kouichi?

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"So, uh…you're Co-ee-chee?"

The stranger glanced at Juno with an expression that was really nothing like Minamoto-kun's, despite the similarity of their faces and eyes. There was a bit of a playful smirk on his lip, glancing down at her as though he knew _exactly_ how stupid her question was, and the weight of that glance made Juno's cheeks darken into a deep rouge. "Well, yes, that's my name. Why do you ask, _Miss_ Juno?"

"Don't…Don't call me miss," the girl muttered, and her face darkened a bit more even as she tried to hide behind her own hair. She nibbled her lip awkwardly as she watched Coo-ee-chee…_Kouichi_, Kou-ichi, she had to remind herself to think of him _that_ way…

"And…And you said you were Minamoto-kun's…_brother_?"

"Twins, actually," Kouichi narrowed his eyes in the way that Minamoto-kun always did, but there was a mischievous, almost playful glint deep in the depths of the blue irises. "I'm sorry if I didn't make that quite obvious."

More color, and Juno hated it - red always clashed with her hair, and she was acting like _such_ an idiot, around Minamoto-kun's _brother_ of all people. "You did, you just…I just…oh…never mind…"

Kouichi chuckled and paused, leaning against his staff lazily like a walking stick and smiling at her in a manner that seemed completely open and yet not completely honest. "There's no reason to be so tense, Juno-chan. I'm not going to be telling anybody nasty things about you if you act your age," his smile widened a bit. "And I'm certainly not going to bite or anything silly like that."

"Well…_Good_." Juno huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "'Cause that'd be really freaky of you."

This time, the boy laughed, a real, honest-to-goodness _laugh, _and her tense muscles relaxed just the slightest at the comforting sound. "Yes, I suppose it would, wouldn't it? Though, I have been told I'm not exactly…"

Kouichi stopped suddenly, raising one hand in at a sharp, flat angle that automatically brought Juno up to a sudden stop. The girl tensed all over and flexed her hands, invisible little jolts of static electricity jumping from her gloved knuckles to tickle her bare knees. "What is it?"

"Something's happening up ahead," Kouichi frowned and took a deep breath through his nose, furrowing his brow in something between curiosity and disgust. "It smells…putrid. Against the natural order."

Juno frowned at his expression, sniffing the air experimentally. "I don't smell anything…hey!"

Kouichi hadn't even waited for her to finish her sentence before he'd lifted the Staff off the ground and completely into his hand, darting down the obsidian black hall with jolting movements that seemed almost unnatural. Juno reacted as quickly as she could and shot after him - she couldn't lose him, Minamoto-kun was going to be so happy when he saw she'd found him - and caught up a second later to find him crouched behind the low railing of a balcony, his staff lying almost vertical against one knee. "Hey, whattya think you're…"

"Shhhh," Kouichi lifted one hand just enough to put a finger against his lips, then pointed out over the edge of the balcony. "Look."

Juno looked and her eyes widened. Her throat went dry so suddenly that it almost made her cough, but she held it down to an extremely soft whisper. "Holy gems. Beryl…!"

"She's starting the spell," Kouichi gripped his Staff tightly. It was glowing, Juno realized, with a strange aura that seemed to shift from black to purple and back without even thinking about it, and it was shaking violently in his grip. "They're not even all in place yet and she's already started the spell. What the hell is that witch _thinking_…?"

Juno glanced at her new companion with not a little bit of confusion, but said nothing. The tendrils of darkness were starting to writhe from Beryl's finger tips, stretching out into the corners of the room, and there were others moving down there…other pieces coming into their places…

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Sora darted down the hallway, just a little ahead of ChibiUsa and Pallas, his eyes darting down each split-off hallway as he passed it at high speed. He scanned constantly, looking for any sign of Heartless or Junpei, determined to keep one step ahead of whatever was happening and keep the girls safe, but he was so focused on the two known dangers that he didn't even notice Kouji until he'd run straight into him and been bowled over flat on his back.

"Ow!" Sora rolled back, only the high pile of his hair keeping him from banging his skull against the ground. "What the…_Kouji?_"

ChibiUsa darted forward to check on him, despite Pallas trying to hold her back. The blue-haired girl's eyes were suddenly wide, and her voice rose a full octave in panic. "Small Lady, _look out!_"

Sora snapped his head up just in time to get a glance at the dark, shadowed navy eyes before he leapt at ChibiUsa, rolling them both out of the way without a second to lose. A moment later, the blazing green-silver blade of light burned through the air and scarred the black quartz floor with a nasty hiss.

ChibiMoon gasped just a bit as they uncurled from their roll, staring at their attacker in disbelief. "Minamoto-kun, _no!_"

Kouji turned to them sharply, his dark ponytail snapping after like a whip, and his fogged eyes narrowing dangerously. The rest of his body moved after the head, strangely limp, his arms dangling by his sides and leaving him open in a way that Sora had never seen before.

"Oh, no no no no no _no!_" Pallas shrieked, moving from one foot to the other frantically, he hands pressed over her face in a vague attempt to get herself under control. "He's just like him! Junpei-onii-san, he acted like this, too!"

Sora growled, staying in a low crouch and gripping his Keyblade almost too tightly. "This isn't like him…Something's screwing with him…Both of them…"

"What…What do we do?" ChibiMoon asked, her hands curling as though she wanted to reach for the magic that formed the basis of her attacks, but shaking too much to get a proper hold on it. "Sora-kun…It's Minamoto-kun, w-we can't hurt him. An-And Juno's supposed to be with him…"

Kouji tensed suddenly and lunged, bringing the Sager down on them again. Sora moved more quickly, something he'd thought to be impossible, throwing ChibiUsa out of the way and catching the blade of light on the edge of the Keyblade. The two blades battled with each other, one pushing up, the other down, forced against each other with magical sparks and electric crackles.

"No no no _no!"_ Pallas's voice rose even higher in octave, and then it was suddenly laced with power. "_Rolling Bubble Restraint!"_

From her direction, a blast of bubbles shot into Sora's view, crashing into Kouji's side in a way the swordsman would never have allowed, if he'd been in control. Empowered with magic, they lifted him off his feet, carrying him a good ten feet away and freeing Sora from the gridlocked attack. The bubbles continued to push, forming a barrier around the dark-haired boy, but he was already starting to fight his way through with pure stubborn determination.

Sora swore under his breath as his teeth grit together in frustration. "Dammit, Kouji…Thought you were…more stubborn than that…"

"What do we do, what do we do?" Pallas asked again, her voice as frantic as ever.

ChibiUsa took a deep breath, obviously trying to stay claim, but the nerves that had been frayed by their current situation weren't tying themselves off anytime soon if the rattling of nervous energy about her was any indication. "That's…That's easy, Palla. We have to…Have to…"

"Run."

Both Senshi stared at the Keyblade Master as though he'd lost his mind, but he didn't give them any time to argue. Instead, he practically lifted ChibiUsa up by the bow on her back and shoved them both down the side hall. "Get moving!" He insisted, ducking under the glowing blade and only losing a single piece of hair for his trouble. "You heard me, go!"

ChibiUsa let out a little shriek of surprise as she skittered back to her feet, turning back despite Pallas's hand on her shoulder. "B-But Sora-kun…!"

"No buts!" Sora parried Kouji's next strike, holding them at another all-too-steady deadlock. He grit his teeth together at the sparks that flew from the Sager at their connecting point, backing away from the heat with a low hiss. "I can't hold him off without hurting him. We gotta get rid of the source to stop this, so _get going!_"

"But…"

"Sorry, buddy…" Sora grit his teeth and leaned back, kicking Kouji in the stomach hard enough to knock him a few steps away, and grinned at the girls. "Don't worry. I'll be right behind you."

ChibiUsa opened her mouth to argue again, but Pallas's tugging on her sleeve distracted her. "Small Lady, _please!_"

"Oh…oh, all right!"

The pink-haired princess turned on the balls of her feet and darted down the hall, with her fellow Sailor Scout directly behind. Sora grinned to himself before he twisted back to his 'opponent.'

Kouji moved with a strange jerkiness, like some kind of low-budget zombie, and he was close enough now that Sora could see a little trickle of blood running over his left ear. It took only a moment for the Keyblade Master to put it together - that Kouji had been knocked unconscious and that had given 'the witch' the opportunity she needed to get control of him again - before he was again under attack by the sluggish but accurate moves.

Kouji darted towards him, and Sora raised the Keyblade to block again, only to be surprised as the swordsman darted past him and down the thin hall. "Hey…No!"

Sora twisted and shot after him, pushing his legs as hard and as fast as they would go. He couldn't catch up like this - Kouji was faster than he was and more agile, he could maneuver the tiny passages so much easier. The hallway split and divided and took crazy turns at apparently random moments, and only the glowing beam of the Licht Sager kept him from losing his way.

A high-pitched scream suddenly echoed from ahead and Sora's stomach jumped up into his throat. "ChibiUsa!"

"Sora-kun!" The next shout was accompanied by the skittering of high-heeled boots on the floor and the electric buzz of burning dust as the laser-like sword slashed through the air. "Sora-kun, _help!"_

"Keep moving!" The Keyblade Master shouted ahead, barely noticing the sudden change of plane as the ground began sloping upwards. "Just hang on, I'll be right…!"

And then he came over the top of the rise and saw them. ChibiMoon and Pallas were backed into a corner, with Kouji in just the right position to block both their paths of escape - either back in Sora's direction, where they had come from, or out the other side, where a strange shifting light glowed. ChibiMoon had one of her Crystal Roses on the tips of her fingers, ready to throw without much guidance of what good it could do, especially as the boy who was _supposed_ to be their ally loomed over them. He lifted his blade into the air, and it seemed to vibrate and shimmer from tip to base, buzzing in his hand as the light turned white, blue, white…

At the last second, a plan snapped into Sora's mind, and he shouted ahead. "Girls, get _down!"_

Pallas reacted to the cry first, grabbed her Princess around the waist and pulling her back, out of the way. Sora wound back as far as he could and hurled the Keyblade with all of his might, sending it flying through the air. Kouji had barely turned towards him when the Blade connected with him, or, more accurately, his _hand_, and the Licht Sager went flying.

Sora leapt after his weapon, snatching it out of the air just before he hit Kouji with all of his weight. The two rolled over each other, head over heels, until Sora pinned Kouji under him and raised the Keyblade to aim at his throat. "Okay, buddy, this is _over_!"

"I should bloody hope so!"

Sora blinked, then did it again, and realized that Kouji wasn't struggling with him. Actually, he was staring up at him with a blank, annoyed expression, the slight scowl indicating that he was in more pain than he really wanted to admit.

"…Kouji?"

"And who else would I be?" The scowl deepened and the long-haired boy shifted his pinned arms tensely. "Do you _mind_? I'm losing feeling in my fingers."

Sora hesitated a moment longer, but was pushed off by Kouji's annoyed glower. The swordsman sat up, rubbing his head and glancing around him like a cornered wolf. ChibiUsa and Pallas, to Sora's relief, chose to hang back behind the Keyblade Master and let him deal with this.

Kouji's eyes trailed over them all and his muscles tensed. "Where's the green one?"

"Uh…whah?"

"Juno. The green girl," Kouji climbed to his feet. "She was with me when I blacked out. What happened to her?"

Sora glanced at the girls, and ChibiUsa stepped forward. "We were hoping that _you_ knew."

Before Kouji could answer, the soft light from behind him - which _had_ been shifting almost peacefully through a seemingly endless spectrum of pastels - suddenly raged to life with all the fury of a firestorm. Kouji jumped away, facing the light but covering his eyes, and Sora moved forward to meet him, creating a barrier between the two girls and the 'explosion.'

"_Now_ what's happening?" Sora shouted over the mess, feeling as though he'd had quite his fill of strange happenings for one world.

"Search me," Kouji answered, gritting his teeth and trying to force his eyes open against the light. "But why do I have the feeling that it's not going to be good?"

Their conversation was cut off as the light pulsed again, forks of darkness arching through it like cracks cutting across shattered glass. Sora glanced at Kouji and their eyes met under the shelter of their hands, communicating what he hoped was a drastic but un-suicidal plan. The swordsman didn't show any fear or hesitation - he just nodded in response and held up his cast-covered arm as a signal.

"What are you doing?" ChibiUsa shouted over the noise, but it was too late to stop the metal-bound arm from dropping like the flag at a race track.

Sora and Kouji pushed forward together, breaking through the burning light and crackling darkness, and braced themselves for whatever - or whoever - was waiting on the other side.

_**TBC…**_

If you don't know why Kouichi's acting so weird: I'm sorry, it was in the companion story to this, which, if I was really smart, I would've just woven in with this one, but it's too late to worry about this now. It's still in my profile, if you're interested (_Elemental Hearts: Inside/Outside_) and it's just got one chapter left until it's finished.

If you're annoyed with me because I took so long to write this: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…please leave a review anyway, pretty please? This story is getting to a climax pretty fast…

If you're wondering what's going to happen next: I _promise_ I won't leave you at a cliff hanger forever! I can't really tell when I'll get the next chapter out, but I'll do everything I can to make sure it's faster than this one, I promise! Next time, we'll finally get to the end of Crystal Tokyo (the world I thought would never end) and get spiraling into the final conflict, so please, stay tuned!!


	26. Chapter 25: Crystal Tokyo Pt 6

I'm so so so so _so_ sorry for taking so long with this chapter. You know how bad I am with fight scenes? Well, this chapter was about sixteen pages worth of nothing _but _fight scene. I hope that the result is a good enough that you're willing to forgive me and leave a review. Also, since I've been so slow, I decided to post this chapter unbeta'ed, but I'm still going to send it to Syaoran-san, so a better-looking version should be up in a week or two.

Also, the internet gave out in my dormroom. I now know exactly who frequents the 24-hour computer lab at 3:30 in the morning. Kinda like shopping at Walmart at four a.m...

**__**

Disclaimer:

I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. The original manga version of Sailor Moon

_is the exclusive property of Naoko Takeuchi-sensei and, therefore, not mine either._****

Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts

Chapter 25: Crystal Tokyo Pt. 6

An icy smile slid over Beryl's lips as she watched the spell unfold around her, felt each tendril of icy darkness reaching out for her, melding with her own magic and drawing her closer, ever closer. All the pieces were falling into place now, one by one - the Weapon of Fire had been drawn to her beckoning almost as soon as it had been freed from its owner's grip, and the Wielder of Lightning had been drawn into her grip just moments afterwards. The others, those few that remained, we close…so close…not a part of the circle just yet, but so close that she could feel them, smell them, _taste_ their power…

"Mine, mine…" the words fell from her mouth between the syllables of her unstoppable spell. "They're mine, all mine, the power is _mine!_"

She brought her arms around in a powerful arch, tracing the flow of power through the air. Her skin prickled with it in a delightful manner completely unlike static electricity, the force of the magic running along her bones from the tips of her fingers all the way up to her collarbone, and her smile widened even more.

It was then that the next step of the spell, the strongest step, moved in and took hold. The power entered her mind, spreading her consciousness, pushing her thoughts and her awareness into the shadows, which folded back to reveal to her the information that they hid. The long-hidden knowledge of ancient shadows, power that no sorcerer before had ever _dreamed_… more than anyone, anyone in this world or any other, had ever known…

"Mine, mine, mine…" she giggled, her consciousness spreading, stretching, reaching ever deeper through the darkness. "Mine, mine, mine, all mine…"

"Oh…wow."

Sora stared up at the impossibly high ceilings, craning his head backwards on his neck, turning so quickly he could hear the popping of the vertebrae in his neck. The strange mixtures of light that they had been forced to physically push through had not disappeared, rather, they seemed to wrap around the entire huge room, isolating it from the rest of the world, and isolating _them_ from the rest of the room. It was like they had broken into a bubble inside of a bubble, and the bizarre distortion of not-quite-solid light made it impossible to tell just how big either 'bubble' really was.

The Keyblade Master stumbled back a few steps, twisting in his steps to get a better view and trying to comprehend the . "This place is…wow."

"We've broken through into the interior of the castle," Kouji muttered with forced impartiality. "It's bound to be extravagant."

The tone was _too_ impartial,. too controlled, even for Kouji. Something was wrong.

Sora pulled out of his gaze to turn to his friend worriedly. "Kouji…you okay? That spell doesn't still have you, does it?"

"I don't have any idea about this 'spell' that you're talking about," the swordsman muttered through gritted teeth. "All I'm doing is ignoring my _hand_."

"Your hand? What…"

Sora looked down. Kouji was cradling his right hand in the protective cast that covered his left arm, doing everything he could to keep it from moving. The hand was twisted, two of its fingers sticking off at unnatural angles as the rest were curled in on itself in pain.

It was then that Sora remembered exactly how the Keyblade had landed when he threw it, and an awkward sort of guilty feel slid down into the pit of his stomach. "Oh."

"Yeah. 'Oh,'" Kouji's scowl deepened, adding frustration to his pain, and his hand twitched in a painful-looking muscle spasm. Kouji grunted and pulled his arm closer to his chest as Sora reached out to… "Don't touch it!"

Sora winced and pulled his hands back. "Sorry."

Kouji grunted in a way that may or may not have meant 'apology accepted' and gradually tested the range of movement still left in his fingers. Determining that the range was, in fact 'not much,' he pulled his broken arm away gently and extended the hand towards Sora. "On the ship…you said you knew a spell?"

"Well, yeah, but…" Sora gripped the Keyblade tightly. "I'm not good enough with magic to fix it, and it hasn't been set properly and…"

"It doesn't matter," Kouji grunted, and his voice dipped into the feral range. "Can't you feel it? There's something here…Something important."

The Keyblade shuddered with a resounding tone, vibrating in Sora's hand as though agreeing with the statement. The movement sent a shudder up Sora's spine, a sort of magical tingle that only happened when the Keyblade was trying to tell him something. The Keyblade Master closed his eyes for a moment, letting the feeling wash from bone to bone until he knew the message like his own name and sighed. "Yeah…you're right about that."

Kouji gave one nod, short and sharp. "We have to be ready for anything…"

"Kouji? Kouji!"

A second later, Takuya appeared from the light, stumbling forward as though blinded - which, given the strange state of the room, he probably was. Kouji jerked back like a startled cat, his arms dropping into a battle-ready stance, until the pain brought him back to reality and his mind caught up to realize who the new presence was. "Taku…What the hell are you doing here?"

"Actually, I, um…" Takuya rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, glancing around them as Taichi, Agumon, Goofy and Ceres pushed out of the light behind him. "I don't actually know…"

"We kinda got dropped here," Taichi muttered, indicating Takuya with an off-handed wave as he tried to catch his breath. "Thought it was his idea, but now I'm not so sure…Things have been pretty nuts. You two okay?"

"You _three_," Ceres corrected.

"Four," Kouji muttered, and at that moment, ChibiMoon and Pallas appeared just behind him.

Pallas looked up, blinking through the light, and her blue eyes began to tear up the moment her eyes landed on her big sister. Breaking away from ChibiMoon, she launched herself at Ceres and threw her arms around the pink-haired little senshi. "Cereeeee!"

Ceres blinked once, twice, then realized her arms were pinned to her side. Pallas had a death grip on her sister's shoulders, sobbing into her bow so hard that it was difficult to tell what she was saying. "Palla? Palla, what…? What's wrong?"

"It was _awful_, Cere!" Pallas sobbed. "Just _awful!_"

ChibiMoon sighed, reaching out to take her two Senshi by the arm and pull them else where to explain the entire situation. Sora had to smile just the slightest bit - for somebody so young, the kid really knew what she was doing as a leader.

"Okay, that was unexpected," Taichi groaned, rubbing his neck as though it was sore. He glanced at Sora and Kouji with an expression that wasn't quite aggravation, but was pushing it. "Do _you_ two know what's going on here? 'Cause I'm lost. Ceres over there explained a decent chunk of the whole 'infiltration' plan, but she never said anything about these crazy lights or something making Takuya freak out or-"

Kouji's eyes shot to Takuya. "You, too?"

"Too? What, did it happen to you again?"

Taichi scowled. "Hey, I was talking here…"

"Apparently," Kouji scowled, ignoring Taichi to focus completely on Takuya. "And not just us - Junpei, too. But it's only affecting us. Something's affecting us, and I think it's acting through…"

Takuya snapped his fingers. "The Weapons! That's how it's happening!"

Taichi made a disgruntled face and crossed his arms over his chest. "We _knew _that already, _I _figured that out. What we _don't_ know is what's causing it, or how-"

"It's magic," Sora interrupted. "That weird control, this light…it's all magic."

Taichi let out an annoyed groan, but seemed somewhat placated by the fact that he was actually being spoken to, rather than talked around. He brushed his hair back out of his eyes and glanced at Sora with a sigh. "Magic, huh? And how would you know?"

"I can feel it," Sora held up the Keyblade as an example. It was humming constantly, creating a slight tone that reverberated around them like a protective bubble, as though the sound itself were keeping the too-much strange light of the room at bay. "The Keyblade can sense it, too."

"As if it wasn't obvious," Kouji muttered sourly, motioning to the lights with his unbound arm. "Nothing else could cause something like _this_."

Sora set his face into a serious expression, turning back towards the strange wall of light. The Keyblade's humming increased a bit as he moved, shifting through the notes and tones as though whispering to him - _warm…warmer…_

Finally, he came to the point when the Keyblade's hum increased to its strongest point, and grinned. "That way. That's where the spell's coming from."

Takuya frowned at the clear wall and, specifically, the thick crystal it seemed to be radiating from. He moved along the edge of the light, brushing his fingers along the not-quite-existent surface until he reached the cold edge of the crystal. He squinted against the light, leaning pushing forward to press his face against the thick, clear piece of rock. There was something in there, a shadow, a shape he could almost make out. It looked…familiar…

There was a flash of a familiar shade of orange, and Takuya jerked back in surprise. "Tomoki!"

Taichi and Sora jerked around at the shout, and Kouji darted over for a look himself. He swore, nearly reaching out with his broken hand, but winced and pulled back as a blast of icy air burst from the crystal case, sounding of its next note in the chorus.

Sora's eyes darted along the length of the round shield and caught sight of the next crystal case, where a coiled rope was reaching for the sky with a leafy tip. Acting on instinct, he slid to a stop in between the two items and looked directly across the huge circle. There was a case there too, and in it, framed by a soft sea blue, he could make out the shape of…

"Kairi!"

The Keyblade Master's blue eyes burned with a white-hot fire as he yanked his weapon back into his grasp and lunged. He hit the force field head on and was held back easily - _much_ too easily. His feet scrambled for a grip on the smooth floor, only managing to hold him in place for a few precious seconds before he was thrown backwards with a cry.

"Sora-kun!" ChibiUsa darted to her hero's side. "Are you all right?"

Sora grunted something that could have been a 'fine,' pulling himself back to his feet. "Kairi…They've got Kairi. I _have _to get her out of there!"

Taichi grit his teeth and stepped forward, his hands curling into fists. "Let us give it a shot! Agumon, you ready?"

"Ready!"

The Digimon-and-partner team gave each other one more quick glance and a nod before they charged as a pair, Taichi putting his strongest foot forward and Agumon launching forward with claws bared. They struck the barrier at the same time, but lasted barely half the time that Sora did before they were thrown back as well. Takuya, who had moved forward for an attempt of his own, got caught in their wake and their little pile slid to a stop just before they reached Ceres and Pallas.

"Okay…" Taichi muttered. "That hurt. We need a new plan."

"Ow…" Takuya groaned from the bottom of the pile.

Sora shook his head as though clearing water out of his ears and narrowed his eyes in determination. Raising the Keyblade again, he slipped around ChibiMoon almost too quickly to see and moved for another lunge.

But before he could reach the barrier, Kouji slid in front of the Keyblade Master, planting his feet and thrusting one shoulder up against Sora's chest, stopping him without involving either of the dark-haired boy's injured arms. "Sora, chill! This isn't the way to do this!"

Sora stumbled back a few steps and righted himself with an annoyed growl. "Then what? What do you want me to do?"

"Start with using your _head_," Kouji snapped, and nodded towards the Keyblade. "That thing is supposed to open up anything, isn't it?"

Sora blinked. "Yeah…"

Kouji jerked his head backwards to motion at the barrier over his shoulder as he stepped out of the way. "Then trying using it to open that. _Without_ hitting it."

A slight frown crawled across Sora's face, just enough to cause little bit of a worry line to cross over his features. The rest of the group backed up to give him room as he stepped forward, holding the Keyblade lightly in one hand. He lifted it up to touch the edge of the barrier and felt the magic hum run up his arm yet again, but this time, it was not constant in the least. It shifted with the changing lights, playing note after note along his arm, the tuneless song echoing in his mind.

Sora let his eyes slip close without thinking about it, letting the not-quite-song wash over every part of his body. For a split moment, the rest of the world seemed to slip away as the magic took hold. There was nothing in his mind by the tune, his thoughts echoing with the wordless song, the rhythm so familiar it almost seemed to match that of his heart…

The sky blue eyes snapped open and Sora jerked the Keyblade to the right, striking Tomoki's case just as it lit up with another icy note. The resulting tone rang through the air like a pleasant gunshot, and, just as suddenly, the barrier between that case and the wooded whip vanished.

"Move!" Kouji shouted, and the group responded instantly.

Taichi dragged Takuya along by one arm, yanking Agumon up with the other. Ceres seized Pallas and leapt through the gap together. Finally, Kouji tucked his arms close to his body and jumped through, with ChibiUsa on his heels and Sora slipping through just before the force field popped back up.

They found themselves standing in the center of the magic circle. The light was finally clear - actually, if anything, the interior of the circle seemed downright gloomy. It was as though the brightest lights had been sapped away in exchange for violently dark colors against the blandest imaginable shade of grey, flashing constantly above them like a silent thunderstorm. The only light came from the soft glow of the chalk lines, buzzing, as the Keyblade had, with the magical power. And there, in the middle, stood the ivory, and ebony pillar that could only be 'Queen' Beryl - who looked absolutely horrible.

The witch's face was shallow and her skin had turned an ugly, fragile yellow color. Her cheeks had sunk down into her face until it she looked to be little more than a skull with yellowed paper stretch over it. Her too-dark makeup had run down her face, staining her cheeks with an ugly mixture of purple and black, bleeding through her too-thin skin like spilled ink. Her hair had faded into a dusty grey and looked as though it would turn to dust with the slightest touch. Her entire body matched the state of her head; completely emancipated, down to the very bone.

And yet, despite it all, Queen Beryl was smiling as though she hadn't a care in the world.

"Holy cow," Taichi gaped at the sight, wide-eyed. "What the hell happened to her?"

"It's the spell," Ceres whispered breathlessly, her voice shaking. "It…It looks like it's draining, not just of her magic, but…_everything_. Even her life."

As though she had heard the words, Beryl began to laugh. It was a sound that started low in her throat and seemed to die almost the moment it hit the air, and yet, it was dark enough - _joyous_ enough - that it made everyone feel as though huge chunks of ice slid into their stomachs.

The Queen of Darkness turned away from them, spreading her broomstick-thin arms wide over her head to present the lights around her as though they were a holy relic.

"Do you feel it, children?" she asked with rhetoric sarcasm, her tone crashing up and down with the laughter. "Do you feel the way they chorus together, their song filling the world to its very core? Do you feel the way their Hearts beat as one, the way their magic _pulses_ through thy very _veins_?"

Takuya lifted a single incredulous eyebrow and took several steps back. "O-kay, someone didn't read the warning labels before medications…"

_"SILENCE!"_

Beryl's scream reverberated through the magical dome, knocking Goofy to the ground and shaking everyone else's balance off-kilter.

The witch-queen's head turned on her neck without so much as a twitch from the rest of her body, twisting around with unnatural speed. Her purple eyes suddenly flared with neon pink light, light that corresponded with one of the cases - Izumi's - just as a gale-strength wind blasted against them hard.

Sora raised his arms and planted his feet hard against the biting gust, catching Pallas and ChibiMoon with each arm as they were thrown back. Kouji's balance was thrown off without the proper use of his arms, so Takuya grabbed his friend by the shoulders as Ceres ducked into a protective barrier created by Taichi and Agumon. Goofy stayed on the ground and covered his head with both of his hands.

"You _dare_ to mock the _power_?" Beryl demanded, her voice echoing with the rumbling earth beneath them as her glowing eyes slowly shifted to a glowing tan. "_You_ dare to mock _me?_"

The ground shook wildly, its reverberations running up their legs to rattle their bones. Sora grit his teeth and pushed the girls he was holding onto together, giving them both someone else to lean on. "Stay here!"

"But…Sora-kun!" ChibiUsa protested, but it was too late as the Keyblade Master charged forward.

Sora leapt across the radius of the magic circle with long, bounding strides, summoning the Keyblade into his hand. He leapt in the air over the witch and gripped the blade in both hands, about to bring it down on her head…

At that moment, Beryl's eyes shot to him and turned a gleaming silver. A barrier of slivery material, too thin to be metal but too strong to be anything else, appeared above her. The Keyblade crashed into it and bounced back, the reverberation knocking Sora to the ground.

A huge, unnatural smirk stretched over Beryl's withered face. "Ssstupid boy…"

_"Crystal Rose!"_

The witch hissed like a wounded snake as three sharp crystal roses jabbed into her upper arm. Her eyes shot to ChibiMoon and suddenly burned a fiery red-orange. _"IMPUDENCE!"_

Fire appeared from nowhere and shot toward the little pink-hair princess in a huge blaze. Pallas pushed her way in front of ChibiUsa and brought up her hands. _"Rolling Bubble Blast!"_

Her conjured bubbles met the flames head-on, pushing them back with a his of steam. The little blue-haired girl began to breathe hard and sweat heavily with the effort as the bubbles and flames fought each other for dominance. The two forces struggled against each other for a long while before Pallas's bubbles finally gave out.

The blue-clothed senshi cried out as her spell disappeared, throwing herself back to cover the princess she was sworn to protect, and at that moment, Goofy appeared. The guard dove between the girls and the flames, blocking them with his shield until they finally disappeared.

Goofy hyuck'ed brightly as he straightened, not even glancing at the charred face of his shield. "Golly, you girls okay?"

"Goofy-san…" Pallas's eyes welled up with tears and she threw her arms around his long, thin neck. "I could just _kiss_ you!"

Taichi took the momentary distraction as a chance to place himself between Beryl and the three she'd been attack, Agumon moving in step with him to close the gap between them and the witch. "She wants fire, huh? Let's give it to her!"

"Right!" Agumon sucked in a deep breath. "Baby flame!"

The bright orb of flame burst from the little Digimon with a crackling hiss, arching through the air like a pop fly. But Beryl just turned to it and her eyes blazed an icy electric blue. As the fireball touched her outstretched hand, there was a crackle of icy wind and the ball simply dropped to the ground, its very flame frozen solid.

"Dammit!" Takuya swore, gripping his hands into fists as Ceres darted forward to join the fight. "She's got them over-powered! We have to do something!"

"Like what?" Kouji snapped. "In case you're forgetting, neither one of us has a weapon anymore, and even if we _did_ I can't use either of my hands. What the hell are we supposed to do about anything?"

Takuya shot his friend a glare for giving up so easy, but the tenseness that had been building in his shoulders slowly slipped away. He turned his eyes back to the battle -where Ceres's dancing petals and vines were being parried away by thick bushels of sharp thorns that had risen from the ground - and let a light hiss slip out of his lips. "That can't…we can't do _anything?_ Dammit…I hate feeling so…helpless…"

_"ENOUGH!"_

Beryl's shout echoed, her voice dipping deep into octaves a woman's voice was never meant to reach, and her eyes flash yellow as a ring of thunder crashed to the ground around her and knocked her attackers in all direction. "This ends _now!_"

Her hands flung wide and her eyes blazed white. In an instant, the circle filled with a blaze of blinding light that erupted from the ground, accompanied by a virtual hurricane of wind and biting bullets of ice. Sora crouched down, slamming the Keyblade into the ground for leverage to keep grounded as Goofy shielded ChibiMoon and Pallas and Taichi and Agumon protected Ceres. But without any outside source to keep them on the ground or block the witch's attack, Kouji and Takuya were blinded, then thrown back and tossed into the air like rag dolls.

On instinct, Takuya grabbed for his friend, inadvertently grabbing hold of his cast. Kouji let out a sharp cry at the pressure the action put on his broken arm, pulling both of his limbs in defensively as they tumbled, head over heels…

Then, from seemingly nowhere, a voice called out: _"Soar, Blazing Sparks!"_

Multiple fireballs blasted unexpectedly from the light, followed by an even larger blast of ice as a nasally voice followed up with "Bizzardga!"

The combination spell hit Beryl hard in the small of the back. The witch let out a cry and the light in her eyes disappeared, all of her elemental power vanishing with it. Kouji rolled in mid-air, trying to get his balance straight as he and Takuya tumbled down, the floor coming closer, and then…

Someone grabbed him, someone strong and fast enough to cancel out the momentum of their fall and cushion their landing just enough that the shock only dropped Kouji to his knees. A deep, almost cocky voice chuckled from above his head. "Gotcha."

Kouji looked up and found himself face-to-face with pale blue eyes, surrounded by even paler blue hair. He was holding a strange sword that looked like a mounted bat's wing in his right hand - the arm of which he was currently using to support Kouji - and his left seemed oddly bruised, the arm banded attached to it ripped as though something that had been attached had been torn away.

Kouji frowned, sensing something that stuck him as almost instant dislike. "Who the hell are you?"

"Riku…?" Sora gasped, but he was cut by Vesta and Donald finally dropping down after their dramatic leap into the battle.

"Hell yeah!" Vesta punched the air enthusiastically, sticking her tongue out at Beryl. "How'd you like that, you stupid old hag?"

Ceres blinked at her sister, confused. "Ves, how did you guys get _in_ here?"

"Duh," the red-haired senshi jabbed her thumb at where they had come from. There was a small, glowing gap in the grey that pushed out into the main hall. "Ducky washed away the chalk lines. Magic to magic, you know?"

Kouji groaned. Why hadn't _they_ thought of that?

Sora seemed to have recovered from the huge attack in record time as he bounded across the circle, dodging past all four of the Sailor Senshi and Goofy's route to reach Donald. A huge smile was slowly spreading across his face, and he was shaking a little, his eyes watering as he refused to blink, as though he couldn't believe that what he saw wouldn't disappear if he closed them. "Riku…god, Riku, it really _is_ you…"

The silver-haired boy smiled - not a smirk, a real genuine smile - as he looked at his brown-haired friend. "Good to see you too, Sora."

"Hold on a second!" Kouji jumped to his feet. "If you're 'Riku,' then what the hell happened to _my…_"

"Um, guys, we don't have time for this right now!" Takuya jabbed his arm at the center of the circle again. "Look!"

Beryl had already recovered from the successful attack and had slowly rotated on her spot to turn to them. Smoke from the burn hissed as it rose off her back, its almost-black color setting it - and her - apart from the flat grey even as her withered white hair fell over her face in huge, messy tangles. She was breathing hard, her body shaking with every breath, and her rage radiated off of her like pure energy.

"This is _unacceptable_," she snarled, her voice sounding more like an animal than a human being. "It's time we _ended_ this…once and for all…"

Her right arm slid up the side of her body, snapping out perfectly parallel to her shoulders. A small, swirling vortex of black energy appeared, hanging in mid air like a pane of glass to take in her hand. Every muscle in her arm showed through the too-thin paper skin as she clenched her hand around something and pulled it out.

At first, it seemed that she had pulled out a Keyblade of her own - one that was long, thin and almost entirely made of gold. But then it was revealed that hand was still grasping the hilt along with hers, a large hand clothed in a white glove, and its owner - a small, black figure with large ears and exaggerated features - was still dangling from it despite his unconsciousness.

Sora drew in a sharp breath and gripped his own Keyblade tightly. "Is that… the King?"

"Mickey!" Riku hissed, grabbing hold of his weapon.

"Your Majesty!" Goofy and Donald chorused, and the mage squawked in indignation.

But Beryl notice none of this, her mind only focused on the Keyblade, as though the dead weight hanging from it meant absolutely nothing. She brought the weapon up and pointed its tip straight above her head, the weapon shaking in her hand more and more with every inch it was raised until, at the exact zenith, it seemed ready to throw itself from her, with only the weight of its rightful owner keeping it in place.

"It's time…" she whispered, her voice echoing as though she had screamed it. "To open the _door_."

A beam of light and sound shot from the Keyblade she held, shooting up through the seemingly endless void of grey until it crashed into the direct center of the black dome high at the top. The point of light swept up all of the colors and air and light that had come before, drawing it in from the outside the circle as well as within. It all swirled together into a single color, a single point, a portal of black and darkness with something white…a light, a soft, warm endless light…at the very end…

But before it could get any further than that indistinct implication of a shape, there was another noise - this one the rough, light-hearted bark of a usually happy dog turned vicious in defense of its master.

With a snarl, Pluto leapt through the entrance that Donald had made - which had spread, Kouji couldn't help noticing, until it had taken over almost half of the gap between two cases - and launched himself at Beryl. In one swift motion, the pup's thick, flat teeth had sunk into the woman's too-thin arm so deeply that it almost looked like the limb would snap in two.

Beryl screamed, the bouncing off the inside of their skulls as well as the walls of the building. She jerked her arm and tossed everything across the room - dog, key and mouse at all once. They vaulted through the air in one group and at the very top of their arch, the King seemed to sense that it was time to wake up and somersaulted out of his freefall. He grabbed the Keyblade in his right hand and caught Pluto around the waist with his left arm, twisting back to land on his feet.

Takuya whistled. "He's good."

A little smirk quirked over Riku's face, a kind of pride, almost as though he was the one being praised.

"Miserable _mutt!_"

Beryl struck out with her hand and a bolt of lightening shot down between Pluto and the King. The pup leapt in one direction, sliding to a stop in front of the icy case that held Tomoki's unmoving form, as his master jumped in the other. Mickey rolled across the floor and popped up between Riku and Sora as though nothing had happened.

"Hello, boys," he chuckled brightly, adjusting his grip on the Keyblade. "Good to see you're all in shape. I can't tell you the kind of nonsense I've through…"

"You'll have to tell us about it later, Your Majesty," Sora interrupted. "We're kinda in the middle of something here."

Beryl's arm shot towards them again and vines threw themselves at the trio. Mickey jumped forward and cut through the thickest of them. "So I see."

Riku slashed through the few vines that managed to get past the King, glancing at Sora out of the corner of his eye. "We saw from the outside - she's using the magic circle to harness the power of those items she's captured. We need to cut her off."

"Then that's just what we'll do," Mickey nodded to Donald and Goofy. "Knock her out of the center and it's all over. Go!"

The group dispersed, shooting off in all directions to surround their target. The little Senshi moved first, under ChibiUsa's direction to come to a rest at the compass points around Beryl. Each of them summoned a power of their own, their auras taking the form of thick colored ropes that shot out and wrapped around the witch's torso one after another. The girls pulled at their power as a group, but it wasn't enough to budge Beryl and she didn't even blink for them, not even when Taichi and Agumon caught onto the plan and grabbed onto the ropes alongside them.

As they wrapped around to pull as a single group, Goofy, Mickey and Donald leapt in from the opposite side. Beryl turned her head to them, her eyes blazed silver again and the metal shield flashed up, knocking their attack away. "Is that the best you've got?"

_"Firagra!"_

Blue-white fire shattered the shield like a baseball hitting a car window, heralding Riku as he jumped through the falling shards after his magical attack. Sora was right on his heels, and the two mirror each other's actions, coming down on the witch in a single attack.

The Keyblade hit one shoulder as the Soul Stealer crashed onto the other, a resounding crack filling the room as her shoulder bones - as dry and fragile as the rest of her - gave way. Beryl jerked forward at the waist, bending around the ropes until her back was almost bent further than a ninety degree angle.

Sora balanced on the balls of his feet, with Riku landing on the other side. They met each others' eyes a moment, almost ready to ask if they had her, when she jerked straight back up and sent him flying. He managed to uncurl himself from the flight before he was hurt too badly, but he still hit the wall. While Sora hit the for field, his head, hand and the Keyblade hit one of the cases hard - hard enough that the thick crystal cracked.

"Sora-kun!" ChibiUsa gasped, jerking backwards to follow her hero, never noticing the strange retreat of light and sound that was happening around them. But the others noticed, realizing what it was - like the retreating waters before a tidal wave.

"Everybody, back off!" Riku shouted, but it was too late.

Beryl's eyes burst huge and blared white again, the wind and light destroying the magic ropes and throwing all of her attackers backwards as though they were little more than insects. They crashed, one by one, into the field, except for Donald, who went flying through the gap and out of the circle altogether. Only Kouji and Takuya, pressed against the edge of the force field, stayed in place.

"Kouji, c'mon," Takuya reached down and took his friend carefully by the elbows, trying not to hurt him as he tried to pull him out of the mess. "We need to get out of here, we're gonna get in the way, we need to figure something out and you're hurt and…Kouji?"

The swordsman wasn't listening. He was staring at the crack that Sora's Keyblade had made in the white crystal case. The shadowed shape inside was slight, thin, and half of it glowed with a soft light of its own, independent of the magic and the circle. He'd know that shape anywhere…

"Kouji, what are you doing?" Takuya asked, then realized he was losing his grip as his friend moved away from him determinedly. "Kouji!"

Without a word, Kouji charged forward, throwing all of his weight into the case, focusing it all through his right shoulder.

Maybe it was just luck, or timing, or maybe the magic had weakened just enough, but somehow, it worked. The crack extended across the entire crystal surface until finally, the case shatter and the Sager burst free.

Kouji twisted from his attack and grabbed his weapon with his broken hand, gritting his teeth through the inevitable pain. He kicked off the remains of the crystal trophy mount and shot into the center of the circle in one smooth motion, shooting past Sora and Goofy like a bullet. Shrugging his cast-bound arm out of its sling, he seized the sword with both hands and used them for ultimate leverage, bringing them up together to slash all the way across Beryl's torso, from her waist to her shoulder.

The howl of a wolf sounded through the room as he slashed, the sound combining with the power from his stroke. Beryl cried out, her voice cracking as it suddenly breaking through two octaves up, the echo fading with her fall out of the center ring as she crashed to the ground.

The moment she hit the floor, the glowing chalk circle and the blank gray around them began to flicker in and out like a broken light bulb. What was left of the strange, tangible lights from outside of the circle were slowly sucked up into the dark portal at the top of the room, until that was all that was left, as though it was a drain and everything else had been sucked down.

The portal flickered twice, then began to shrink almost imperceptibly, closing up like a shutter lens. Sora stared at the sight, his blue eyes wide with something that couldn't really be called disbelief as much as complete and utter amazement. "Holy cow…he did it."

Kouji landed, putting most of his weight on one foot before the Sager clattered to the ground and he followed, sinking to his knees. His arms hung limp by his sides and he sucked in every breath as though it were the last one he would ever take, coming down off the adrenaline and sinking into the dullness of the pain.

But he had only drawn in a few of the deep, heavy breaths before he found himself suddenly incapable of taking anymore. Beryl's thin arm had suddenly shot up from the mass of quivering black cloth that she had become, clutching his throat and crushing his voice box back to cut off his windpipe.

"No…" the witch growled, her voice warbling with rage as she tightened her grip. "It won't end like this…I won't let it!"

"Kouji!" Sora shouted, moving forward to rescue his friend, but before he could even take three steps, someone else intervened.

_"Striking Thunder Barrage!"_

Beryl screamed as the sky split open and a blast of thunder crashed down on her, conducted easily by the little green-haired girl who was balanced on the very edge of the balcony railings. The name 'Juno' had barely left Pallas's lips in a shocked little gasp before another figure, this one dressed entirely in a black robe with the hood pulled over his head, appeared and vaulted over the very same balcony.

The robed figure controlled his fall just enough to land in a low crouch, using the extra momentum to bring his long, black staff down on the witch's arm. The fragile bones cracked easily under the assault and Beryl released her target with a scream.

Kouji dropped backwards, but was caught in the robed figure's free arm before he hit the ground. The figure - the boy, as close as he was to Kouji's size - cradled him close to his body with the greatest of care. "It's okay, Kouji. I've got you."

His hood fell back to reveal his face, and Kouji couldn't help but stare. "Nii…Nii-san?"

Beryl shrank back, clutching her arm close to her and letting out a long, high-pitched squeal like a kicked cat. Still crouched against the ground, she started to rear up to attack the twins again, but was stopped as Riku and Sora both stepped in front of her, lowering their weapons to hold the witch in place.

"Give it up," Riku hissed, pushing the Soul Stealer up under her thin, pointy little chin.

"Yeah," Sora added with a bit of a smirk. "It's over."

_"It certainly is!"_

Riku, the Keyblade Master and the twins were bawled over by the sudden appearance of something…big, dark and red. It swept Beryl up into a one-handed grip, jerking her off the floor and into the air. They came to a full stop, revealing the red 'thing' to be a man - or something that looked like one: A vampire, unnaturally tall, with a pointed red mask covering his eyes mysteriously. Seven strange black spheres seemed to follow his every move in an enchanted ring, floating around him as though caught in a slipstream. His fangs glinted in the unnatural light as though he had always belonged in it.

Taichi's body went rigid and recognition flashed over his face. "Myotismon!"

The vampire Digimon's purple lips smirked ever wider as his name floated across the room. He tightened his finely-manicured nails deeper into the cloth of Beryl's collar, bunching it up into a death grip. "I think you've outlived your usefulness, my dear."

Beryl's eyes widened, the way that they had sunk deep into the pits of their sockets making them stand out as though they had been placed inside of a skull. "You…You planned this. All of it…it was all you…"

"And now you understand."

Myotismon clenched his fist death-tight and gave it a good shake, sending a blast of blood-red energy through Beryl's entire body. The witch let out one last keening cry before her body dissolved under the assault, pouring to the ground in a pile of dust surrounded by ragged black shreds.

Before anyone could do anything to react to this, Myotismon shot upwards on an updraft of his own power, darting through the ever-closing portal. The seven orbs of energy followed him up and out, just before the dark hole snapped shut on the vampire's heels.

There was a terrible, awful noise.

And then everything was quiet once more.

**__**

TBC…

There are goodbyes and things still left to be sorted out. I just couldn't bring myself to add them to this chapter after taking so long. Besides, they'll be a good place to start for the next one. Oh, and we're _finally done with Crystal Tokyo!! _YEA! As much as I enjoyed this world, we've been in it too damn long.

Because I know it's confusing: Tomoki, Izumi, Kairi and Junpei were all caught by Beryl's spell - the same one that got to Kouji and Takuya through their Items - and were in stasis through the whole fight. When Kouji and Takuya let go of their Items, the Ball and the Sager answered the call on their own. Riku's shield was ripped from his arm before he could be pulled into the circle, and the Staff was close enough to the completed circle that it could be used as the final element in the spell, even though 'Kouichi' was still holding onto it. Also, Pluto came through the same magic portal that Tomoki got dragged through - he was just hiding in building for the right time to intervene.

And again, I apologize for taking so very, very long with this chapter and updating in general recently. Things…college…life…just always seem to get in the way. Some more things will be answered in the next chapter, and the one after that, so please stay tuned!

Also, for those of you wishing that I would update I/O - the final chapter of that story will be posted at the same time as the next chapter of this story, because it won't make sense without it. After that, Kouichi and Riku will be prominently featured in the rest of the main story, so we won't need I/O anymore. I'm sorry that it has taken so very long and I hope that it will be worth the wait.


	27. Chapter 26: Return to Disney Castle

Once again, I decided to post this without getting it beta'ed, because it's taken me so long to finish it. I hope it's worth the wait.

****

_Disclaimer: _

_I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. The original manga version of Sailor Moon __is the exclusive property of Naoko Takeuchi-sensei and, therefore, not mine either._****

Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts

Chapter 26: Return to Disney Castle

"My goodness," said Queen Serenity, looking around at all of the dirty, tired-looking people who had trudged out of the ruins of the black castle to meet her, the King and the rest of the fully-grown Senshi. "It seems that our party has grown since last we saw each other."

Sora grinned good-naturedly, turning to look at everyone who had come out with them, none of whom looked even half as relaxed as he was. He wasn't exactly sure what had gotten hold of him in the scramble to escape the rapidly-collapsing crystal palace, but something about the inherent thrill of a life-or-death struggle that had absolutely nothing to do with battling for the sake of the world that had reenergized him.

His companions, however, were not nearly so lucky; particularly Kouji, who was only conscious because of his own stubbornness and had been carried out of the rubble on Junpei's back. The Thunder-wielding warrior had woken up from his spell-induced slumber without any memories of what had transpired, as had Izumi, Kairi and Tomoki, none of whom could even really recall how they had gotten to Crystal Tokyo. In fact, the only one who hadn't been a part of the attacking party and still seemed to remember their arrival was Pluto, but since he was still just a dog, the only indication they had of that was the knowing glint in his eyes whenever someone brought up the subject.

Those who _had_ been involved in the primary assault were looking more than a little flustered, though some of the little Senshi shared in Sora's bounciness. Vesta and Donald looked about ready to hit anything that moved, though they were taking it out on each other; while Pallas hadn't let go of Junpei's hand the entire time and Juno was hovering anxiously around Kouji. Kouichi - who hadn't said more than two words to Sora since his arrival, though given their need for a sudden escape that could be easily forgiven - had taken a place of his own at his brother's opposite side.

All in all, their little rag-tag group of fighters looked worse for wear, but no one could deny the feeling of satisfaction that came from the realization that their battle was finally over.

Already, the inky blackness that had infected the white crystals of the kingdom was starting to seep away, and the Heartless were nowhere to be seen. Sora recognized the pattern and knew that, soon enough, the people would recover themselves and come back to their homes. With Beryl and the Heartless gone, things would eventually return to normal.

Queen Serenity certain seemed pleased enough, clapping her hands together with a wide smile. "It would appear that our mission has been a resounding success!"

Takuya laughed humorlessly, plowing up a stray piece of hair with a puff of air. "Sure, lady. Whatever you say."

Izumi elbowed him in the side, hard. Takuya yelped and clutched the bruised flesh as though she'd stabbed him with a hot poker. "Gah! 'Zumi, what was that for?"

"Honestly, Takuya, she's a _queen_," the girl scolded. "Show a little respect!"

Serenity chuckled again, her smile never fading, though many of the Senshi at her side - especially Uranus - seemed to agree with Izumi. There was a moment of not-quite-uneasy tension.

Mickey chose that moment to bounce forward with wide steps, snapping his heels together as he presented himself to the Queen. He grinned up at her and bowed politely. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Your Majesty."

"And you as well, Your Majesty," Serenity folded her hands before her and repeated the bow, then quickly reached out and seized both of Mickey's arms. With a laugh, she pulled him in for a hug, dropping to her knees in order to reach the tiny king. "It is wonderful to see you, my friend!"

"Ah…Queen Serenity!" Sailor Mars sputtered. "Show some propriety, please!"

Donald squawked wildly, breaking away from his argument with Vesta. "Your Majesty! This isn't proper!"

King Endymion just laughed. "Calm down, both of you, it's perfectly fine. There's nothing wrong with a hug between friends."

"Friends?" Sora found himself just staring at the two embracing monarchs, blinking once, then again before he found his voice. "Wow. King Mickey is really well connected, isn't he?"

Riku sighed, running a restless hand through his hair. "You don't know the half of it…"

It was the first thing that the white-haired boy had said to Sora since his sudden appearance in the battle, and the first real bit of casual conversation that the Keyblade Master had heard from his old friend since before they left their Island. As such, it took a little while to register itself as such in Sora's mind, but when it did, a huge smile spread over his bright face and he practically tackled Riku to the ground.

"Holy-! _Sora!_" The white-haired boy shoved his friend away to arm's length, glaring at him sourly. "What, exactly, are you doing?"

The dour tone just made Sora laugh harder and squeezed his old friend all the tighter. After searching for so long, it felt wonderful to know that his best friend was really there and really _real_. "Oh man, Riku. It's _so_ good to hear your voice."

"That goes double for me!"

"The bright laugh from above heralded Kairi, leaping down from one of the ruined crystals and throwing her arms around them both. The three old friends rolled together with the moving momentum, eventually collapsing into a haphazard pile of limbs that left even Riku laughing.

Pallas giggled, grabbing on to Ceres's arm and pointing to the Destiny Island friends openly. "They're really glad to have found each other, huh?"

"They're not the only ones!" Junpei grinned a broad grin as he dragged Izumi closer with one hand and pulled Tomoki in with the other. Widening his grin at Takuya and the twins, he announced. "Check it out, gang! The original legendary dream-team is back together and even better than ever!"

Izumi 'eep-'ed and pushed away as a flurry of sparks from Junpei's Gauntlets fizzled her hair out in all directions. She patted her hair back to place with a huff, but was still smiling wistfully as she did. "He's right. It feels like it's been ages since we've all been together."

"Technically, we don't _all_ technically have it 'together,'" Tomoki said hesitantly, glancing up at Kouji.

The swordsman grunted and shifted enough to lift his head. "I _heard _that."

"Minamoto-kun…" Juno worried cautiously. "You're, uh…gonna hurt yourself."

"I'm _fine_," Kouji hissed again, and he hoisted himself up on one arm only to wince in pain and drop against Junpei's back again.

Kouichi reached up and touched his brother's shoulder gently, leaning the staff against the opposite shoulder to free his hands. "Kouji, she's right. You're hurt. You should rest. Just…go to sleep."

"Nii-san…" Kouji reached out with his broken arm and, without moving his fingers any more than he had to, gently brushed Kouichi's cheek. "It's really you…? I finally…found you…and I have to know for sure…"

"And you will," Kouichi soothed, taking the hand away from his face to hold on gently. He reached out and brushed the stray hairs away from Kouji's face, smiling so that his brother could clearly see. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

Kouji looked into his brother's eyes for a long moment before he finally seemed to give in. His eyelids finally flickered shut and he dropped to sleep.

"Gawrsh," Goofy said blankly, crouching down to get a good look at the now-sleeping Kouji. "He _really_ listens to yeh, don't he?"

Kouichi smiled as he straightened, pulling the Staff back into his hands. "No one knows Kouji better than I do."

Takuya grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "No arguments here, buddy."

Finally, Queen Serenity and King Mickey broke out of their hug, the Queen remaining elegantly reclined on the ground to converse with her guest more easily. They spoke quietly for a long while before Serenity silently rose, turning to the gather crowd. With a single refine little cough to clear her throat, the mob was silenced and everyone turned to hear what she had to say.

"My dear friends," she began, smiling kindly at Sora and the other visitors. "I thank you for your invaluable assistance. Truly, without your help, today's victory would have been impossible. Even more so, my heart rejoices that we have also been able to reunite so many dear friends with their precious loved ones."

At this, Izumi hooked her arms around Takuya's elbow and Kairi leaned up to kiss Sora softly on the cheek. Both brown-haired boys turned scarlet with blush, as did ChibiUsa.

"However, I am afraid that the time has come for us to say goodbye."

"What?!" Juno and Vesta exclaimed at the same time, snapping their heads up.

"But whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyyy?!" Pallas whined, grabbing onto Junpei around the waist. "We just got back together again!"

"I know," Serenity said softly. "And I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that we have no other choice."

King Mickey hopped forward to assist in the explanation. "Beryl's spell has opened an unnatural rift between the worlds, shattering the previously-established connections in order to reach her target. Though she was incapable of crossing over herself-"

"Myotismon was able to do it instead," Taichi finished up, his eyes narrowing seriously.

Takuya stared openly at his two traveling companions. "Taichi, you _know_ that freak?"

"You bet we do!" Agumon chimed in. "On our world, he's the baddest of the bad!"

"He's one of the worst evil Digimon that we've ever had to face," Taichi continued, glancing between Takuya, Junpei and the others who understood what he was talking about. "He'll do anything to get what he wants, and he's never known when to stay down."

King Mickey nodded, processing the new information quickly and quietly. "He and Beryl were probably in cahoots with each other. Myotismon double-crossed Beryl and used her magic to open the way to the Cauldron. But the path isn't stable, so it's collapsing in on itself and trying to drag all of the worlds attached to it down as well."

"The only way that we can protect Crystal Tokyo from that is to temporarily seal it off from all other worlds," Serenity continued softly. "But if we do that, all of our visitors will be trapped here as well. And I am certain that the one thing you all want very much is to go home."

"And we still have to stop Myotismon," Mickey added. "We won't be able to do that from here."

The world's visitors glanced amongst each other hand, without any words, the vote was unanimous: it was time to leave. The younger Senshi also seemed to understand this, though their reaction was one of quiet disappointment, lowering their heads.

Serenity gave a soft smile and reached out to pat ChibiUsa's head. "There is just enough time for goodbyes. So be sure to make them count."

The little princess smiled gratefully at her mother, but the grin faded slightly as she turned back to Sora. The Keyblade Master and his friends had managed to struggle out of their reunion pile and - as Riku was busy acting anti-social and sending suspicious glares in the still-sleeping Kouji's generally direction- Kairi and Sora were taking the chance have 'A Moment.' Kairi was holding onto Sora's hand with both of her own, looking up to stare deep into his eyes. Sora was returning the gaze, using his other hand to gently stroke her cheek.

ChibiUsa sighed to herself, feeling the familiar pang of disappointment in her heart. But another part of her spoke stronger, echoing confidence and grace to overcome it all.

"Sora-kun?"

Her voice broke the two out of their little world, but neither seemed angry as Sora turned to her. "Yes?"

ChibiUsa took a deep breath, then she took hold of the edges of her pink skirt and dipped into a polite curtsey. "Thank you so much for everything you've done for the kingdom and for me," she said softly, bowing her head. "And I hope…I hope that we'll meet again, Sora-kun."

Sora grinned and reached out to drag the little girl in for a hug. "I _know_ we will, 'Small Lady.' You can count on it!"

ChibiUsa blushed a full two shades darker than her hair.

Pallas sniveled and wrapped her arms as far around Junpei's midsection as she could. "I'm gonna miss you, Junpei-onii-san."

"I'm gonna miss you too, kiddo," Junpei muttered, hugging her back and taking great care not to zap her with the gauntlets. "But hey, no crying, you got that? This cut-off thing's only temporary, and as soon as it's gone, I'll be back. You'll see. And then you'll be real tough, right?"

Pallas smiled broadly. "Right!"

"So…duck," Vesta started out, turning to Donald, but leaving her sentence off as though she couldn't think of what to say next.

"Oh, here it goes," the mage squawked, ducking his head underneath his wing. "Just get it over with!"

Vesta shot out one hand and pulled his wing down with one swift motion. With the next, she kissed him on his feathery cheek. "Well…bye."

Without another word, she turned and ran, ducking between Mars and Mercury to hide behind the older senshi.

Donald was dumbfounded. Goofy hyuck'ed wildly as Sora and Ceres collapsed into giggles. "Oh man," Sora snickered. "Wait until we tell Daisy about that!"

"You wouldn't _dare!_"

Turning her back on her sisters, Juno carefully approached Kouji, who had been moved to lie on the ground, and knelt beside him. "Minamoto-kun…" she looked to his brother, his Coo-ee-chi, to ask her questions. "Is he going to be all right?"

"He'll be fine," Kouichi soothed, stroking his brother's hair again. "He just needs some rest. A little sleep and a little healing magic and he'll be as good as new."

Juno nodded distantly, looking again to Kouji's face. "Will you…tell him somethin' for me, when he wakes up?"

"Something like what?"

"…" Juno thought for a long moment, looking Kouji over very carefully before she finally decided. "Tell him that…I'm gonna get stronger. And I'm gonna grow up and be more focused, so when he gets back, I'll be better than ever," she dropped her voice down and leaned close to Kouji's face, so close that she could feel his soft breathing. "So please wait for me."

She paused a moment, almost as though she was thinking about kissing him, but pulled back before that could happen. Her face a bright scarlet, she bowed to Kouichi from her kneeling state and hurried off without another word, giving the rest of the group time to say all the goodbyes that they needed.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

It turned out to be more than a little crowded, stuffing 13 semi-healthy people and one practically-invalid into two Gummi Ships meant to hold six people each, but they made it work with a little shuffling and re-dealing. Donald griped about weight limits and Taichi's at-home mechanic, Koushiro, freaked out about safety restrictions, but in the end everyone squeezed in, got friendly and decided to live with it, just for a short trip.

Sora shifted in his captain's chair, hooking his legs over the armrest to avoid knocking Kairi in the head. "Hey, Kouichi!" he called back to the infirmary area. "How's Kouji doing?"

Kouichi looked back from where he was crouched beside his brother, who was lying out on the makeshift cot in the back of the ship. "Still sleeping like a baby. Hasn't even blinked."

"Gawrsh," Goofy hyuck'ed, rolling in his own seat like a giant bouncy ball. "He must be real tired, huh?"

Sora grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "At least _something_ got him to relax."

Kairi braced herself as they jerked to the side, settling back as the ship came back to cruising speed. She glanced at Kouichi and smiled softly. "I never got to tell you, Kouichi-kun…it's nice to finally meet you face-to-face. I'm glad that you're safe."

Kouichi blinked at her a few times as though he couldn't quite remember, then smiled very shyly. "Yes…it's nice to see you, too."

With that, he dropped his head back down to keep watch over his brother again.

"What's the matter wit him?" Donald squawked.

Sora shrugged. "Kouji always said that he was shy."

Riku, pressed up against the far wall of the ship, just narrowed his eyes.

Pluto whimpered low from the jerking around, crawling across the floor of the ship. He lifted his head and rested it on the cot beside Kouji, licking the unconscious boy's hand worriedly before settling down to sleep.

Kairi smiled softly and reached out to stroke the dog's hindquarters. "Looks like poor Pluto's all tuckered out."

"I'm not surprised," Sora laughed, a bit of pride lurking in the depths of his voice. "You should've seen him in that fight, he was amazing - took that crazy witch on like she was nothing, all to save the King."

"Speaking of," Riku suddenly spoke up, turning to face the front of the ship for the first time since they'd boarded. "Mickey, how did Beryl get a hold of you in the first place? What on earth were you doing there?"

Mickey's bug, doll-like eyes narrowed seriously as he regarded the silver-haired boy. "Y'know Riku, I was just wonderin' that myself. Last thing I remember, I was back on that mountain…"

****

( - )

_"Your Majesty!"_

Mickey slid to a stop in mid-run, catching a Heartless on his Keyblade skillfully as he twisted, trying to find the source of the voice. "Xenos?"

_"Yes," _the voice whispered from nowhere, as though it were speaking to him directly from the depths of his mind. _"As long as you remain in the Realm of Darkness, I can speak to you this way. I am Watching over you, your majesty, and your companions. I have Seen what has become of the boy…"_

"You mean Kouichi!" Mickey realized, and somersaulted over an attacking Neo-Shadow as he spoke. "Where is he? Is he all right?"

_"He's near you, though not as near as you think," _Xenos whispered. _"But that is not important now. Tell me, Your Majesty, do you remember what we spoke about in my shop?"_

"Or course I do! You said that someone was harvesting the Hearts of Darkness!"

_"Yes, that's it," _Xenos was quiet for a while, sighing to himself. _"And they have finally managed to gather them all."_

"What?!"

__

"Behind you!"

The King twisted around, but he wasn't fast enough to react to the sudden blow from the darkness. His brain spun as he flew back, practically throwing Xenos's voice out of his consciousness. Mickey's senses came back in mid-air, and he twisted around to land on his feet, facing his opponent.

However, instead of the Heartless that he had been expecting, the King found himself face-to-face with a tall, pale vampire who seemed to wear the darkness like a living cloak. In his right hand, he cupped a hovering ball of purple energy, leaving his left as the only one free to have attack. Somehow, despite this handicap, he managed to keep the advantage.

"His Royal Majesty King Mickey of Disney Castle," the vampire chuckled. "What a _surprise_ to find you here."

Mickey narrowed his eyes and drew his Keyblade in an aggressive defense. "Who are you?"

The vampire smiled, slowly closing his hand around the purple orb as though he had been waiting for just this opportunity. The energy pulsed in his grip, and for a split second, Mickey could see a spark of purple energy course up the length of the long, thin arm.

"I, Your Majesty, am everything that you ever feared."

His pale features melted into darkness, which shot out at the King with a life of its own. Before Mickey could react, it had surrounded him, pinning him down, smothering him until the world went completely black…

****

( - )

"And that's the last thing that I remember," Mickey shrugged. "Next thing I knew, I was there with Beryl and the rest of you."

"Which means that Heartless was traveling with us in your place for over a week," Riku turned his arm around, glaring at his own reflection in the Shield as though disgusting with the fact that he had allowed such a thing. "Dammit…"

Kairi tapped her chin contemplatively, mulling over the King's story. "There's one thing that I don't get, though - what was that purple orb?"

"Yeah," Sora sat up a bit straighter as he remembered for himself. "He had it with him in Crystal Tokyo, too, only there was more than one of them…"

Mickey's eyes shot to Sora seriously. "Do you remember how many more?"

"Well, I…"

"Six," Riku announced without hesitation, his voice as cold as steel. "Six more. Seven in all."

Mickey's ears drooped slightly in a worried expression. "Oh…I was afraid of that."

"Gawrsh, yer Majesty," Goofy hyuck'ed, glancing back for just a second. "Why's that?"

Mickey cupped his own chin in one white-gloved hand, his face twisting into a serious expression that completely failed to look humorous, despite his cartoonish face. "Seven orbs mean that they can only be one thing: the seven Hearts needed to unlock the Cauldron."

This time, Sora sat up completely straight, crossing his legs to sit Indian-style in the captain's chair. "But that can't be right! None of the Princesses have been attacked, and Kairi's right here!"

"No one ever said that these Hearts came from the Princesses," Riku cut Sora off, a little sparkle of realization gleaming in his otherwise-cold eyes. "These are a different seven, aren't they?"

Mickey grinned the same way that a father would grin at a son who had pulled off a particularly difficult skill in the family business. "Exactly."

"So…where do these Hearts come from?" Kairi asked quietly. "Who did…who did Myotismon hurt to get them? Any why would anyone do something like…"

The ship lurched suddenly to the right, throwing everyone off-balance. Kairi slid across the cabin and into Riku, Sora tumbled completely out of his seat and Kouji fell off of the cot into his brother's lap without so much as stirring.

"Uh, whoops," Goofy hyuck'ed. "We're, uh, home!"

"You nincompoop!" Donald squawked, whacking his co-pilot up the side of the head, and promptly launched into a screeching rant. "Watch where you're landin'! Do you know how much this ship _costs_?! And what if you'd hurt the King!"

Mickey popped up from where he had rolled under Goofy's control console, brushing himself off with a shaken little chuckle as he addressed the kids again. "I'll explain everything in a little bit - I have some records hidden in the library that'll have everything. For now though, our first priority is getting our friends some help…"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Oh, my!"

Queen Minnie gasped openly when she saw Kouji's condition, scurrying around the bed in his little room to examine him more closely. "Oh, my!" she gasped again when she felt the severity of his fractured arm, and then again when she saw the condition of his opposite hand. "Oh, my! This is dreadful! The poor thing!"

"But you can fix it, can't you, Your Highness?" Sora pressed anxiously, the concern on his face reflected on the rest of the group, whose (much less severe) wounds had already been taken care of by simple Cura spells on the way home.

"Yes, I believe so…" the Queen said slowly, setting Kouji's arm down with the utmost care to make sure that everything remained properly aligned. "But it will take a lot of magic. Donald, Daisy, I'm going to need your help, as well as yours, Sora, if you feel up to it."

"Sure," the Keyblade Master nodded eagerly, taking a place behind the Queen with his Keyblade raised.

Riku turned to Kouichi. "What about you? Your Curaga's gotten pretty good, you know."

"Oh…" Kouichi blushed red, dropping his head down awkwardly. "I…I don't think that I could. The Staff has been acting rather strange ever since we returned from the Realm of Darkness."

Riku narrowed his eyes. "You don't say…"

"Wow, Kouichi, you can do _magic_?" Tomoki gasped, impressed.

"In a manner of speaking…" Kouichi said modestly, glancing around at his friends from underneath his bangs. "King Mickey has been teaching me."

"That is so cool!"

"Quiet, please," said the Queen, softly but firmly. "We need full concentration."

The room fell silent. To Kouji's right side, Donald lifted his staff in preparation; on the other, Daisy lifted her wings. At the foot of the bed stood the Queen, her arms crossed in front of her to focus her power, as Sora held the Keyblade just over her head.

"Now!" Minnie ordered, uncrossing her arms to release the spell. _"Curaja!"_

The Queen's high-level Cure spell mixed with the lesser spells of the Keyblade Master and the two ducks, covering the sleeping form with translucent, indefinite green leaves. The soft shimmers of green light soon faded away, sinking into the boy's body to stitch his wounds back together.

Once all the light had disappeared, Minnie finally lowered her arms with a sigh. "There. That should do it."

"So he's all fixed up now?" Junpei asked, standing on tip-toe to see from the very rear of the group.

"Well, not quite, but his wounds _have_ mended," Minnie said slowly. "However, his bones will still be quite fragile for the next twelve hours or so. We'll have to wrap his wounds up very carefully to make sure that he doesn't break them again."

"I can do that," Kouichi volunteered, and immediately moved for the medical cabinet to get the bandages.

Minnie nodded to the boy and smiled broadly. "He'll be completely back to normal by tomorrow morning."

"Good," Takuya sighed, running a hand through his hair. "At least one of us will be."

Taichi glanced at his traveling companion with a curiously raised eyebrow. "And just what do you mean by that?"

"I mean the six of us," Takuya motioned to include Izumi, Tomoki, Junpei and the twins in his count. "Here we are back together again, but what good is it gonna do us? It's not like we can just go home and pretend nothing ever happened. We don't even have a place to go home _to_."

"That's right…" Izumi clenched one hand into a fist and pulled it against her chest. "Shibuya was swallowed up by the Heartless…"

Junpei grit his teeth and Tomoki looked away to hide the frustrated tears that prickled at the back of his eyes. But before anyone could keep that train of thought going for too long, Daisy stepped forward. "Then you will stay here with us."

"Or come back to Destiny Islands with us," Kairi added, putting a hand on Izumi's shoulder.

"And you know it won't be forever," Sora piped up, his eyes gleaming with determination. "We'll find a way to get your world back, just like we did with the Islands, and then _everybody_ can go home. Right?"

Takuya sighed again, obviously not convinced, but grinned in spite of himself. "Whatever you say, pal…"

"Besides, this isn't the time to be getting homesick!" King Mickey piped. "We still have to stop Myotismon!"

"That's right," Kairi turned to the King. "You never explained it all to us, Your Majesty. You said you had some old records or something?"

"Sure do!" Mickey grinned, turning for the door. "They're upstairs in the library. You just follow me!"

Pausing only a moment to kiss Minnie's hand sweetly, he bounded out the door. The group followed him one by one, leaving Kouichi with the task of wrapping his brother's wounds. However, as soon as he stepped out of the door, Sora was grabbed and dragged back a few steps, pressed against the bare wall behind him. "Ow! Riku, what the heck…?"

"Shush," the white-haired boy hissed. "I need to ask you something."

Sora regarded his friend carefully and raised one eyebrow. "Okay…what?"

"What do you know about this Kouji kid? What's he like?"

"Kouji?" Sora blinked once, twice and a third time before he finally managed to answer. "Well…he's a pretty strong fighter…protective…kinda serious…a little like you, actually. Why?"

Riku's stare was so intense that he would have had Sora shaking if they hadn't known each other as well as they did. "Have you ever known me to sleep this long?"

Come to think of it…

"Well, no," Sora considered this, but couldn't figure anything about it and just shook his head. "But then again, I've never seen you fight an army of Heartless and crazy, evil, super-powered witch with two broken limbs, either."

Riku's eyes narrowed further, and he glared at the door to Kouji's room as though he could see through it. "I think that something's up. Something doesn't feel right."

"Maybe you've just gotten a bit paranoid," Sora suggested, then completely failed to avoid the glare Riku shot his way. The Keyblade Master shifted his stance and, grabbing onto his friend's arm, began dragging him back down the hall to the library. "C'mon, we better hurry. We're going to miss something important."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

The library looked exactly the same as it always had, with its shelves upon shelves of books illuminated elegantly by wall-to-wall windows. As soon as the group entered, Mickey scurried forward, intent on his goal, and stopped before a small, low bookcase that was just about the same size that he was.

"Queen Serenity gave me this the last time we met," he explained, grabbing a small book that had apparently toppled onto its spine. "It's pretty rare, so I had to make sure that it was kept totally safe."

He pushed the book upright, triggering the switch underneath it. The book shelf shimmered with magic for a moment before it simply faded away, revealing a secret little nook.

Mickey reached in with both hands and pulled out a broad book bound with white leather, decorated with an elaborate silver lining. The King carried over to the small podium that rested beside the desk and flipped it open for everyone to see. The fine white pages moved together as though they were made of silk, the fine ink that inscribed them gleaming iridescently in the light. Glancing over the pages as they were turned, Sora could just make out a spiral-shaped diagram repeated on several of them. Each time, it was surrounded by the square 'elemental symbols' that had been in the old journal.

"Now," Mickey sighed, thumbing through the pages carefully. "What do you kids know about the Cauldron?"

"Well…" Sora rubbed his chin contemplatively as he recalled the early conversations. "Queen Minnie said that it was the 'core' of all worlds."

"Yes, that's a good way to put it," Mickey grinned and flipped the book over to show a page with the spiral clearly displayed in the middle. "The Cauldron lies at the exact center of the universe, and it's the place that _everything_ comes from. To put it simply, it's the place where Hearts are born."

Izumi brushed a thick lock of hair behind her ear, leaning over to get a better look. "What, exactly, does that mean?"

"The Cauldron is the one place in the universe where the ten Elements - Light, Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, Wood, Ice, Thunder, Steel and Darkness - melt together into a single entity," Mickey explained. "This combination of pure elements reacting to one another create sparks of pure energy, and those sparks eventually solidify into new Hearts. Afterwards, the Hearts leave the Cauldron and go out into the universe, where they eventually grow into people, animals and even entire worlds. Then, when their lifespan has ended, the Heart goes to Kingdom Hearts to join with the rest of the universe."

"So then, what that means is…" Tomoki tried to sort the information out in his mind. "Hearts are created from a combination of the ten elements, right?"

Mickey nodded, visibly pleased that everybody was starting to understand. "That's right. Though, of course, each Heart is created from a different combination of elemental energies. Most are made primarily of two or three particular elements, with only trace amounts of the others. And, of course, there is Light and Darkness within every heart. Though there are exceptions.

"Like your weapons," Mickey nodded to Junpei's gauntlets, prompting everyone who held and elemental weapon to glance at their tools curiously. "Each of the ten Items of the Elements have grown from Hearts made purely of a single element. As a result, they can't hold a physical form without being bound to another strong Heart. The form that they've taken now is simply a reflection of each of your Hearts, and it's the reason that the Item of Earth - which, if you'll remember, disappeared when Beryl's spell was broken - didn't have a physical form. It hasn't found its wielder yet."

"No joke, huh?" Takuya spun the Flame Ball in his hands, tossing it into the air. "…Cool."

"Similarly, Keyblades like yours and mine, Sora, are created from Hearts that contain perfectly equal parts of all ten elements," the King continued, nodding to the Keyblade Master. "This is why the Keyblade can align itself with anyone with a strong Heart, and why Keyblade Masters have always been responsible for defending the peace of all worlds."

Sora thought about that for a moment, so deeply that he almost heard the Keyblade's familiar ringing echoing in the back of his mind. "Okay, then…what about the Princesses of Heart?"

"The Princesses are another kind of exception," the King said seriously. "Even in the sense of the Ten Elements, Light and Darkness are unique. The contrast between them is used to define everything, everywhere. As a result, keeping balance between the two is important to keeping balance in the universe. The Princesses of Heart are one-half of this equation."

"One-half?" Sora asked in surprised.

"So there are other Hearts out there," Tomoki whispered. "Others like the Princesses'."

Mickey nodded to confirm the boy's theory. "The Hearts of the Seven Princesses are needed to open the barrier of pure darkness that surrounds and protects Kingdom Hearts," he explained. "Opposite that, there is a barrier of pure light that defends the Cauldron from intruders, and the only way to get past that is with the opposite of the Princesses' Hearts of Light: seven Hearts made of pure darkness."

Taichi tightened his hands into fists, narrowing his eyes sharply. "These 'Dark Hearts'…are they the Hearts of evil people?"

"Not at all," Mickey flipped through the book to a new page. "The darkness of these Hearts is as pure as the light in the Princesses'; and their bodies are equally as pure."

He turned the book around again to show seven pairs of connecting hearts - one in each pair inked completely in, the other empty but surrounded by lines of 'light' illuminating them.

"Just like there are seven Princesses, there are seven normal boys in the worlds who bare the Dark Hearts," the King continued. "And, like the Princesses, the boys are inherently good people. Occasionally, they an be led astray by evil forces that mimic the darkness in their Hearts, but they can never be fully corrupted by it."

"But who are they?" Izumi asked.

"Only a few people truly know, and it is usually kept secret to protect the Boys," Mickey glanced to the door and nodded to Riku, who was leaning against the door frame stoically. "To be honest, I thought that perhaps Riku or Kouichi might be one of them, because of their connections to the darkness, but now that Myotismon has all seven Hearts, that doesn't appear to be possible."

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Junpei spoke, raising his hands to signal for silence before he continued. "There are seven Princesses and seven 'Boys.' The Princesses' Hearts are made of light and can get you into Kingdom Hearts, and the Boys' Hearts are made of darkness and can get you into the Cauldron. Right so far?" Mickey nodded in affirmation. "Okay then, so…what did Beryl need _our_ weapons for?"

"Yeah…" Kairi said slowly. "When Ansem opened Kingdom Hearts, all he needed were the seven Princesses and a Keyblade."

"That's because anybody - including Heartless - can find Kingdom Hearts," Mickey explained. "It's not so easy to find the Cauldron."

Seeing their questioning expressions, the mouse-king flipped to yet another page in the delicate book. This time, it was a two-page spread that contained _two_ large symbols: the swirling 'Cauldron' from before, surrounded by the ten Elements; and a gleaming crown surrounded by Hearts.

"All Hearts, including those that have become Heartless, are naturally attracted to Kingdom Hearts," Mickey explained, pointing to the crown. "That's where they're all eventually destined to end up. So, anyone with the power to move between world and the power to get through the pure darkness protecting Kingdom Hearts would be able to find it, easily. However…" his finger moved to point at the swirling Cauldron. "The Cauldron naturally repeals Hearts. Instead, it attracts the ten Elements in their purest forms. And there is no purer form that the Elements can take in this universe than the Ten Items. Beryl's spell used them to lead the way to the Cauldron, and now Myotismon…"

"Is planning to use the Dark Hearts to get _into_ it," Takuya hissed.

Izumi bit her lip. "The source of all Hearts…who knows what Myotismon could do with that kind of power?"

"Exactly," Mickey closed the book and hopped down from the podium to address them on equal ground. "Which is why we're going after him - first thing tomorrow, when we're all back to full strength."

His infectious grin in the face of total seriousness flicked across the group and they each nodded in turn until it made it back to Sora. They Keyblade Master gave his enthusiastic agreement, then glanced around for a quick headcount when he realized that something was wrong.

"Speaking of…did anyone see where Riku went?"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Xantha hummed to himself as he worked, binding Kouji's arms against his chest with the bandages. He didn't actually like humming, but it was a habit that the stupid boy who had owned this body practiced religiously, so he had to keep it up just for appearance's sake.

Like these bandages. What did he care if the stupid bastard hurt himself again? It might even be funny. But the sleeping spell he'd pilfered from Beryl's old books would only last for so long, and he couldn't have ponytail-boy trying to pick about his award-winning performance again, so trying him up was really the only option. At least, until their plan ran its course and they didn't need his Heart in place anymore.

"Isn't it just wonderful, 'brother'?" he chuckled in a low voice and, for once, he didn't have the urge to wince as he heard the voice of a child instead of his own. "By tomorrow morning, all the Items will be mine and no one - not even you - will know why."

The sound of blade being drawn from its sheaf behind him was the only warning he had before said weapon - the Soul Stealer - was pressed against his throat. "_I _know why."

Xantha rolled his head back to stare at the silver-haired boy, plastering the child's wide-eyed expression of surprise onto his face. "R-Riku…what…?"

"Shut up," Riku growled. "I know that you're not Kouichi. Kouichi…never just called me 'Riku.'"

Xantha narrowed his new blue eyes slightly and forced a smirk to stretch over a face that wasn't quite used to it yet. "Well then. It looks like we're going to need a slight change in plans…"

****

TBC…

Curaja - "Thundraja' is the fourth-level thunder spell in Final Fantasy. It makes logical sense then that Curaja would be the equivalent healing spell. At least, well - it makes sense to me.


	28. Chapter 27: Deception

**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Nothing at all. _

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 27: Deception**

                Sora wandered through the hallways of Disney Castle, looking for – well, nothing in particular. He had started out looking for Riku after their battle plan for getting back at Myotismon had been sorted out, but somewhere along the lines his curiosity about the castle had gotten the better of him and he'd just started wandering. Now he was back on his original Riku-bound path, but had to admit to himself that he really had no idea where to start looking. Riku could be very good at hiding when he wanted to be, and neither of them had spent all that much time in the area. Most of the time he'd 'lived' here, he'd spent sleeping or eating.

                Just as the thought crossed his mind, a door at the end of the hallway – which led to Kouji's room, if he hadn't gotten turned around in the library again – opened up and Kouichi slipped out. The elder twin closed the door behind him so that it wouldn't make a sound, most likely to keep from disturbing his sleeping brother, and then began away from Sora down the hall.

                The Keyblade Master grinned, adding a few skips to his step in order to catch up with the elder twin. "Hey, Kouichi!"

                Kouichi jerked at the sound, startled, and twisted around, but his expression instantly calmed when he saw who it was. "Oh… Sora. Hi."

                In the back of Sora's mind, the greeting registered as odd. Had he given himself a little more time to process it, he would have dubbed it awkwardly stiff and perhaps a little forced. But, as it was, he just brushed the feeling off as a natural reaction to being surprised rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

                "It's all right," Kouichi smiled a kind smile and turned his head to one side. "What can I do for you?"

                "Have you seen Riku?" Sora asked, the question piping out before he really had time to think about the situation. Kouichi had been in with his brother all afternoon, it wasn't likely that he'd seen anyone, let alone Riku. "I mean, I've kind of been looking for him…"

                Kouichi just smiled and shook his head. "I'm afraid that I haven't seen him."

                "Ah…I see," Sora shifted his stance awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head again. He could feel a mat growing there, beneath his usual spiky hair, and made a mental note to avoid so many awkward conversations in the future. "I guess I'll go look for him…I'll see you around, then?"

                Kouichi nodded at him without another word, picking up his Staff and turning to leave. Sora wondered for a moment why the elder twin felt the need to take his Item with him everywhere, but eventually shrugged it off. After all, he took the Keyblade with him everywhere, he just didn't think about it because its magic made it easier to conceal than most of the Items. He wouldn't feel very comfortable wandering around without it, either; especially somewhere he wasn't familiar with.

                Brushing those thoughts aside, he took a moment to check in on Kouji. The swordsman was still sleeping peacefully, his bandages freshly changed, getting just the sort of rest he needed.

                Sora smiled to himself and was about to close the door when he noticed something…odd.

                He opened the door a little wider, then entered completely and walked to the edge of the bed. Frowning, he took off one glove and brushed his fingers along the strange red band that ran along the edge of Kouji's neck. It was still slightly warmer than the rest of the skin, and seemed just slightly wet, as though the upper layer of skin had been rubbed away to reveal the rawness underneath. It wasn't a threatening wound by any matter of means, or even something that most people would have noticed, but it just didn't make any sense.

These hadn't come from Beryl, or the fight or anything involving Crystal Tokyo. Any bruises that might have happened during that time wouldn't have stood a chance against the quadruple healing spell they'd soaked him with. So where had these come from?

**( - )**

                Xantha let out a heavy breath as he finally got out of the Keyblade Master's sight. The breath was _not_ a sigh, as he was far too cool to sigh over every little thing like some kind of love-sick schoolgirl. It was just a normal breath, which he had to hold whenever he talked to any of these idiots because it was the only way for him to keep his voice soft enough to pass as this weak-kneed kid.

Checking over his shoulder to make absolutely certain that no one was around, he ducked into a small alcove and adjusted himself. He was still getting used to this new body, to say nothing about the lame personality front he had to put up with. But he had to count his blessings – after all, it wasn't rotting out from around him – and besides, this was the last day he had to play pretend.

When he adjusted the small, black ring hidden on the third finger of his left hand, a familiar tingling sensation ran up both of his arms. When he glanced down at his limbs, the magic melted away for a split second, revealing the olive green, leafy vines that ran up them both. In another three-second flicker, the identical vines on the Staff were exposed as well, twining up and down the obsidian-black length to keep it under control. Threaded through the gaps in the thick vines, the gleaming white Sager and the shimmering green-silver shield of Steel were caught up, bound firmly into place.

Xantha ran his hands along the illusion-hidden vines on his arms. They were taunt and strong, coiling tensely against his new body to hold the three fighting Items in place. Regular vines would never been able to stand against the energy of an Elemental Weapon, but these vines – _his_ vines – were special.

There had always been a special connection between himself and his plants, even before he had lost his Heart. Hatan – the weak, pathetic creature he'd been back then – had been hopelessly devoted to them, spending hours upon hours in his garden and greenhouse. He had talked to the plants, sung to them, carefully tended to their every want and need. How he had bonded with them and how he had cried when his brother – his strong, determined brother who was so _ashamed_ of Hatan's weak will and childish nature – had broken their pots, torn their delicate petals from their steps and ripped their roots from the soil as he viciously demanded that Hatan finally grow up.

Hatan hadn't wanted to grow up, not if it meant leaving his precious flora behind. He'd been so proud of his plants, even of the toxins that they created. He was so happy with the medicines and cures that he could draw from the poisons. He had been _so_ close to completely his masterpiece, his universal antitoxin that would eliminate all fears of harmful plants that the world still had. He had been clinging to his last sample of the formula when the Heartless finally caught up with him. His hopes for salvation had been in vain, but it had been most fortuitous for Xantha.

Now, plants reacted to his every thought, growing leaves or thorns or poison barbs instantly on command. His power gave the plants their strength, and even the Willow Whip – the ultimate weapon of wood – was subservient to him. They were his strength, and nothing could stop them or, by extension, him.

Xantha smirked at thought, adjusting his grip and checking the fit of the ring that was now just a little too big for him. Beryl hadn't even known what she'd been dealing with when she discovered the beautiful, strange, garnet-red hairpin in her champers. She had assumed, because it was so _exactly_ her style, that it was an old trinket that she had misplaced and forgotten over the years. She'd never even suspected that the gem was formed from the pollen of a rare, parasitic flower mixed with a bit of blood and bound together through Myotismon's power. With all the magic that she'd been throwing around, she hadn't even noticed the power that had been sapped away bit by bit, transferred and collected into this ring. True, now that she was gone, Xantha was limited to the most basic illusion abilities – there would be no heart removal on his part again – and even that small amount would eventually run out. But for now, that was all that he needed.

Smirking broadly at his own cleverness, Xantha finally stopped his preening and continued down the hall, all of his illusions perfectly in place. He still had five more items to gather before nightfall, and he knew exactly where to start.

**( - )**

Takuya grinned to himself, shifting his stance and nudging the ball along the slick green grass of the castle courtyard. The ball was a little smaller than the equipment that he was used to, the material it was made of quite a bit heavier and its color a startling electric blue, but Takuya knew that he could work with it. He could work with anything.

Without warning, he switched all his weight into his left leg, drawing the right one back and firing it with all the force that he could muster.

The broom that had been guarding the makeshift goal leapt after the ball, but it wasn't even close. It shot through the gap under the rounded green arch without so much as brushing either the wooden fingers or the grassy lawn.

Behind Takuya, on the field, Taichi whooped in celebration. "Takuya! Man! Nice shot!"

Takuya grinned, rubbing at a dust spot on his nose and only managing to spread it even further across his face. "Heh, too easy. These brooms are pretty good at Blitzio Ball, but they've got nothing on the soccer field!"

The older boy grinned, slapping a high-five and thumping him on the back brightly. He rolled up the sleeves of his shit, looking up at the fading afternoon sun. "We've been at this for a while. You want to take a break?"

"Are you kidding?" Takuya laughed, rolling his shoulders. "I'm just getting warmed up!"

Taichi sighed, entertaining the briefest of 'ah, to be young,' thoughts before discarding them as far too old for someone his age to be thinking. Still, his legs and shoulders ached in protest each time he tried to move, and they had been at this for a couple of hours already. "…You _sure _you don't need a break?"

Takuya smirked. "Do _you_ need one, _sempai_?"

Taichi straightened, ignoring the protesting creeks from his joints. "Of course not!"

"Good," Takuya guided the blue ball around onto the field, smirking at the older boy. "Round three!"

Taichi tensed, getting ready for any tricky moves that might crop out of the kid's tricky little head. Takuya smirked at him and had just begun to release the energy built up in his muscles when another voice interrupted. "Hey, Takuya!"

Takuya stopped in mid-kick, instead using his momentum to twist around and face Sora, whose spiky brown head was popping up over the garden wall. "What? We're in the middle of something!"

"Yeah, so I see," Sora planted one hand on the wall to stable him as he vaulted over, carrying the Flame Ball under his other arm. "But why're you using that Blitzio Ball when you've got this?"

With a grin, Takuya beckoned for the Ball. Sora shrugged and tossed the white sphere with a gentle underhand lob.

Takuya caught it, his gloved hands thumping firmly on either side, and the Ball instantly burst into the flames. Undaunted, Takuya held it up so Sora could see how the fire licked persistently at his hands and arms without leaving so much as a wisp of smoke, let alone a burn. "_This_ is why. I'm the only one it doesn't affect, but I can't stop it from lighting up on impact when somebody else catches it."

"Yuck," Sora winced at the thought. "That's pretty nasty."

"Yeah, that spicy meatball's pretty finicky," Taichi snickered, brushing off his pants and thumbing at the still-smoldering sphere. "And it's pretty grumpy when Sparky there isn't around, too. I picked it up once when he wasn't in the room and it tried its damndest to burn my hands off."

"Which is why mommy always told you not to play with matches," Takuya said brightly, then spun the Ball on his right thumb and blew out the fire.

Sora laughed a bit, running a hand through his hair. The Sager had been equally finicky about who handled it, and had let out an ear-shattering howl the one time that Donald had picked it up. "Guess they're all pretty picky."

Takuya stopped spinning the Ball, easing it down so he could hold it without igniting it. "So, what's up, Sora?"

"Huh?"

"I take it you didn't come all the way out here just to talk shop about our stuff."

"Oh…yeah!" Sora thumped his head with the flat of his hand and grinned sheepishly. "Actually, I was looking for Riku. Have you seen him?"

Takuya glanced at Taichi before they both shook their heads. "Sorry, buddy. We haven't seen him."

"Did you try Kouichi?" Taichi asked. "The two of them seemed pretty close."

"I just saw him," Sora rubbed his chin and sighed. "I've looked everywhere. I just can't figure out where he…"

_Crash!_

All three of the brown-haired boys jumped a foot at the sound, and Taichi twisted around. "What the heck was that?"

Sora was closest to the sound, so he rounded the garden wall again to investigate. For a moment, he disappeared from sight – all except for the top of his spiky hair – then he popped back up with a baffled expression. "Okay, _this_ is weird."

Curious, Taichi and Takuya leaned over the wall for a look. A metal storage rack of wood equipment – struggle bats, baseball bats and Blitzio Ball guards – had been knocked to the ground and broke into pieces. Pushing up through the cement underneath it was a mass of vines in every length, thickness and shade of green imaginable. Said vines had grown around the supplies, wrapping them up in vice-like grips. Sora had pulled a struggle bat free, but the vines had come with it, and when he tried to brush them off, they just twisted away from his touch and coiled more tightly around the wooden weapon.

"What _is_ that?" Taichi wondered out loud.

"Beats me," Sora shook the bat, trying to knock the vine off without much success. "Looks like some of the gardening is getting out of hand. I guess we should tell the Queen."

"Makes sense to me," Takuya agreed, picking up a stray baseball bat to poke it into the mass of swarming vines curiously. The foliage wrapped around the wood possessively, holding it tight, almost like a parent that had finally found a lost child.

Sora gave up the Struggle bat, tossing it to the ground as he left to fine the Queen. Taichi and Takuya remained behind. Their game forgotten, just watching the bizarre mass of flora as it twisted and grew.

**( - )**

The minute that the warm, steamy water hit her skin, Izumi was in heaven. She brushed her hair back and ducked under the shower head, letting it run down the long length of her back and splash over her body, washing all the dirt and filth of battles and travel down the drain. Taking a deep breath of the heavily-scented steam, she sighed in delight.

Outside, in the rest of the bathroom, the door cracked open very briefly and closed again. "Hey, Izumi?"

"Yeah, Kairi?" Izumi asked dreamily, pulling back her hair as her friend and roommate stepped in.

"Mind if I get ready while you're finishing up?"

"Feel free," Izumi grinned, sticking her hand out of the shower. "Just as long as _this_ water stays under _my _control."

Kairi laughed, her hand drifting to the blue medallion around her neck. Like Izumi's ring, which was the only thing that she'd kept on even in the shower, Kairi never took the Necklace off if she could help it. In just a few weeks, she had gotten to the point where being without the Item made her nervous and twitchy. She couldn't even sleep without the familiar weight around her neck.

Izumi disappeared back into the shower and Kairi turned to get ready for her own. She laid out her favorites of the bath products that had been provided for them by Queen Minnie and the servant brooms, selecting a soft brush to work the tangles out of her hair. She removed her clothes piece by piece, taking a moment to examine her figure in the mirror. She was just starting to wonder if she shouldn't be eating a bit more without gaining weight when the shower shut off and a cold wind blew from nowhere. Kairi shuddered, wrapping a fluffy pink bathrobe around herself as Izumi stepped out, perfectly dry. "I wish you would _warn_ me before you do that."

"Sorry," Izumi chuckled, putting on a pale purple robe and tying it tight just above her waist. She ran a hand through her now totally clean and dry hair and sighed with satisfaction."You have to admit, it is effective."

Kairi nodded her head, distracted by a movement out of the corner of her eye. The path of the movement led her gaze to the floor and from there it led to the drain. The bathroom was lit with mood lighting more than anything else, so it was hard for her to tell, but that shadow almost looked like it was coming _out_ of the drain and _towards_ Izumi. Or, more accurately, towards her ankle, and the ring that she wore there.

"Hey, Izumi," she asked slowly, pointing to the wiggling green form. "What _is_ that?"

**( - )**

Their game effectively disbanded, Taichi and Takuya parted ways for the evening, with the elder going off to find Agumon while Takuya debated checking on Kouji. He had just stumbled on Tomoki, who had been getting an exciting crash-course in the castle's technology from Chip and Dale, and they had been contemplating finding the kitchen for some dinner, when the entire castle suddenly jumped on its foundation. A resounding crack sounded through the building, followed by a pair of familiar, high-pitched, feminine screams.

Within seconds, the pair was racing in the direction of the noise, Tomoki zooming ahead on a twisting, looping path of ice. Junpei appeared from his room to join the charge just before they rounded the final corner.

The door to the room that Kairi and Izumi shared had been thrown open and a bizarre grinding noise was coming from inside. The girls, dressed only in bathrobes, were backing away from the bathroom with every step, doing their best to avoid the huge, writhing mass of green vines that had taken over the titled room. A strong spray of water and a raging wind were working together to hold the wriggling foliage back, but it was gaining strength fast.

"Woah!" Junpei exclaimed when he finally took the entire bizarre sight in. "What the _hell_ is that?!"

"Hell if I know!" Izumi snapped, her hair flying around her in the force of her own power. Her voice echoed with the frustration building inside of her as she tried to keep her robe from flying open in an unseemly manner while still using as much power as she could.

Tomoki dropped off his ice path, letting it melt away and join Kairi's stream. "Are you girls okay?"

"We're fine," Kairi sighed, taking a deep, measured breath, like a yoga practitioner. "Just…startled, is all."

The vines, perhaps taking advantage of the girls' distraction, surged forward with a vicious, focused strike. Junpei reacted first, slamming the gauntlets together with a raging crash of thunder, blasting the vines with electricity. The vines made a loud noise that sounded almost like a scream of pain, recoiling away from the room as far extremities burned and fell off.

"Well, well, well," Junpei grinned, his brown eyes glinting brightly. "Looks like these things aren't as tough as they look."

Takuya smirked broadly and slammed his hand against the side of the ball. The flames instantly igniting, rising into a full blaze, and the leaves shuddered at the sudden new blaze of heat.

"Bring it _on_," he chuckled and the leaves shuddered violently.

**( - )**

Sora had been en-route to the King's study when the castle suddenly shook violently on its foundations. He stumbled, tripping over his own feet, and yelped, "Woah! What the _hell_ was that?"

He twisted around, summoning the Keyblade preemptively, but had barely made it three steps down the hall before another blow – this one closer and made more of sound than physical force – caught his attention. Sora slid to a stop and waited for the sound to come again, as a signal of what he should do.

A few moments later, the lesser blow came again, and a nearby door shuddered on its hinges. Sora approached it cautiously, his weapon at the ready, knowing that anything _that_ strong contained in as small an area as the hall storage closet would be pretty angry and pretty violent once it was finally released.

The door jumped again as he reached for the knob, straining against its hinges. Sora gripped the bronze knob and threw the door open, jumping away at the last moment just in case.

With a crash, a writhing mass of vines tumbled out of the closet, held barely off the ground by the stubborn strength of the largest, toughest flora. The writhing form inside the green mass groaned and twisted and, before Sora could even step forward, thrust a blue-and-red blade straight up through the leaves and began to hack through the shrieking vines.

Sora recognized the weapon, and his mouth dropped open in surprise. "Riku?"

The silver-haired boy didn't answer, but he did spit up a blob of mud that seemed to have gotten caught in his throat. Sora rushed forward and started to yank the vines away, freeing his friend one handful of foliage at a time. "Riku! I've been looking everywhere for you! What-"

"Not. Now," Riku snapped, grabbing Sora by the arm to give him extra leverage as he hacked the last remaining vines off of his legs. "We've got trouble. _Big_ trouble."

As though to emphasize his point, that castle shook again, and inhuman shrieks echoed from the courtyard. Riku snarled, snatching up the Soul Stealer and darting down the hall with such ferocity that Sora was shocked by it. The Keyblade Master was right on his oldest friend's heels, his mind jumping straight to the immediate danger at hand. He barely spared a moment to wonder what on earth was going on, and he didn't even spare a thought to who or what could be behind it all.

**( - )**

Xantha scowled to himself as a portion of his vines retracted back into the safe cover of his illusionary spell, and grunted as the mass attached to his right arm was pulled forcibly again. His subtle manipulation had been a good strategy in the long run – he had compromised almost the entire west wing of the castle, where all of the living quarters were, as well as the primary courtyard and the library – but he had forgotten about the plant's natural defensive instincts. The body warmth of the uncovered hands that had touched the plants skin-to-skin had activated the aggressive defense reaction, emphasized all the more by the plant's connection to his own power. The presence of fire only made the whole situation worse.

                To add to all his frustration, now Riku had managed to get free again. He would probably be forced to tip his hand very soon.

                Movement from the bed in front of him drew his attention, and he held his breath in anticipation. Kouji groaned, shifted anxiously and settled down again, the spell forcing him to remain motionless. Xantha's power over him was starting to fade as Beryl's magic was used up. But he still had a hold.

                Smirking, Xantha reached out and used his fingers to force open one of Kouji's eyes. With the lid peeled away, the navy blue eye – revealed to be completely alert even though the body it was attached to was immobile – twisted around to glare at Xantha in disgust.

                "Frustrated, are you?" Xantha smirked, patting Kouji's cheek in mockery of a brother's caring touch. "I can understand that. It's not easy to have your life completely spin out of your control, now is it?"

                Kouji glared at the monster in his brother's form and grunted in the effort to move, but his joints had all locked up to prevent movement. As an extra measure, thin yet powerful vines had wrapped around his limbs and neck, ready to hold him down or choke him should the magic ever waver. After a second, his eye moved away, looking at a spot on the far wall.

                "You can't even stand to look at me, can you?" Xantha whispered, leaning down very close to Kouji's face, so that the cationic boy couldn't avoid looking at him. "I remind you of all the ways you failed to protect him, all the times that _you_ couldn't save him.

                "I guess your problems are over, then. You'll never have to worry about him again."

                Kouji grunted and snarled, fighting against the spell that held him and managing to move the fingers on both of his hands. Xantha snarled and pushed the eyelid closed again, tucking the blankets around him.

                "Sleep well, brother," he chuckled, then leaned back to wait.

**( - )**

                "YEEEEEEEEEEEE-HAW!"

                Takuya whooped, snagging the Ball out of the air and firing it into the vines again. He twisted in mid-air and landed on the back of Tomoki's Board, clapping the smaller boy on the shoulder brightly.  The Fire Ball bounced around the violent flora, alighting every vine that it touched in a fiery blaze. Tomoki's ice path was cold enough and solid enough to guide both passengers around the vines to wherever they needed to be when the Ball bounced free again. Behind them, Junpei's thunder was scaring the vines together to keep them in a contained area, as a dry wind summoned by Izumi's Ring spread the fire around in swirls. Finally, Kairi was taking the run-off from Tomoki's melting ice and using it to douse the flames the threatened the non-floral-infested in the room.

                Takuya was taking more than a little delight in embracing his inner pyromaniac. It was as though the Ball's excitement at finally being used at its full potential was lifting his spirits on warm, blossoming updrafts.

                As though sensing that they needed reinforcements, the vines were trying to escape back down the hall. At the very end, the courtyard had been overrun with the same shrieking, green vines. This mess was faring no better than their retreating brethren, as Sora blasted it with Fiagra spells and Riku slashed through the plants like a wild man.

                "We've got 'em on the run!" Tomoki announce, grinning from ear to ear.

                "Like there was every any doubt?" Takuya laughed, catching the ball again with a bright whoop. "These stupid plants don't know who they're messing with!"

                As though it heard him, a wide vine shot out of the monstrous mass and struck the bottom of Tomoki's Board. Takuya went flying as Tomoki and the Board tumbled away together. The ever-athletic Takuya twisted around in mid-air, nailing the Ball with a hard bicycle kick to fire it, like a cannon, into the depths of the squirming green mass.

                In the same few moments, more help appeared in the form of Greymon, who came stomping through the huge main hallway with Taichi perched on his shoulder. He sucked in a deep breath, prompting the rest of the attackers to scatter away before the huge Digimon fired a Nova Blast.

                The writhing vines never had a chance.

                The moment that the shrieking stopped and every vine in sight had been reduced to immobile black char, Kairi summoned a stream of water from the sprinkler system to douse the flames. Tomoki, rolling back up onto his feet, helped out with a few well-placed blasts of ice, as the servant brooms scrambled to find their buckets.

                Sora sighed, rubbing the sweat from his forehead off on the sleeve of his shirt. "Phew. _That_ was pretty nuts. Everybody okay?"

                Various sighs of affirmation followed. The girls scurried off to rescue their clothes from the bathroom, chattering nervously to one another, and Taichi slid off the end of Greymon's tail as the huge Digimon reverted to his Rookie form.  He ran a hand through the thick mass of spiked hair on his head and glared at the plant remains as though expecting them to suddenly revive again. "Okay, what the heck was that all about?"

                "Beats me," Sora admitted with a shrug. "I've never seen anything like that."

                Riku growled under his breath. "_I _have."

                "Hey," called Takuya, who was poking around in what was left of the mass of vines. "I can't find the Ball."

                "This is some mess," Junpei muttered sourly, uncurling his fists to release a blast of static electricity into the air. "What could cause something like this?"

                "Not what. Who," Riku snarled, storming past the others and down the hall to the west wing's living quarters. "When I get my hands on him…"

                "Riku, wait!" Sora called, hurrying after him. Their interest peaked, the ones remaining in the courtyard followed after as well.

**( - )**

                With a crash, Riku threw open the door to Kouji's bedroom, throwing it against the wall so hard that the knob left a deep dent in the plaster. Kouichi, who had been sitting at his brother's bedside, twisted around in surprise, just before Riku seized him by the collar and hoisted the smaller boy to his feet. "You miserable, lying, two-faced…"

                "Riku!" Sora exclaimed, bursting in after him and trying, without much success, to force the hand to let go. "What are you doing?!"

                "Get off of me, Sora," Riku snarled, using his free arm to knock his friend away. "He's the one behind all of this."

                "But that's impossible! Riku, that's _Kouichi!_"

                "No it's _not!_"

                At that point, the others had finally managed to catch up, and Junpei was the first to act. His gauntlets sparking with harmless static, he grabbed both Riku and Kouichi and forced them apart. The largest teen glanced between the two smaller ones seriously. "Explain. Now."

                Kouichi's hand went to his own throat, where he had been grabbed just moments before, and took a deep breath. "I…I don't know. I don't have any idea what he's talking about."

                "Yeah, I bet you don't," Riku snapped, gripping his hands into fists for want of something to strangle. "He's been lying to us this whole time!"

                "Riku, please…" Kouichi whispered. "It's just me. You know that I wouldn't…"

                "Drop the damn act!" Riku snapped, and only Sora and Taichi's grips on his arms kept him from lunging at the dark-haired boy. "I _know_ who you are! And I want to know where the _real_ Kouichi is!"

                The dark-haired boy lowered his arms, spreading them out to show that he wasn't hiding anything. "I'm right here…"

                Then suddenly, and without warning, Kouji moved.

                Xantha's spell over the boy had wavered for a split instant, and Kouji took his chance. His hand snapped straight up, seizing 'Kouichi's' left arm by the wrist. Before anyone could act, he had run his hand down the length of his brother's am, pulling the black ring off the third finger with a forceful yank.

                The ring clattered to the ground and, in that instant, all of the illusions that it had held in place were shattered. In a flash, hundreds of vines seemed to appear from nowhere throughout the room. They twined around the bed, dug into the walls, and buried themselves deep into the carpet. Thin green ropes were wrapped around Kouji's arms, legs and neck, trying to keep him pinned to the bed and squealing in protest now that he had moved.

                In the center of it all, dozens of vines were wrapped around the entire length of 'Kouichi's' arms, giving birth to all of the hundreds of plants throughout the castle. Some of them were pulled tight, holding a small collection of struggling Items – including Takuya's Ball, Riku's Shield and Kouji's Sager – within their master's grasp, while others had been spread out beyond where anyone in the room could see.

                "Holy _shit!_" Taichi swore, jumping away from the vines as though they were a collection of squid tentacles.

                Junpei attempted to do the same, but found that some of the vines had attached themselves to his Gauntlets in the moments it took him to separate Riku and the intruder. Takuya grabbed his friend around the waist and pulled backwards, Tomoki jumping forward to ice the vines as best he could.

                Sora leapt back, almost hitting the wall, and brandished the Keyblade. "What the hell is this?"

                "It's exactly what I said," Riku hissed, pointing at 'Kouichi' with the point of the Soul Stealer. "He's had this illusion in place the whole time!"

                "You son of a bitch," Kouji spat, fighting against the vines that held him. "Where is my brother?"

                There was a moment when no one spoke, all eyes focused on the source of their problem. Then a low, bitter laughter rumbled out of the small, dark form. "None of you idiots get it…"

                "What was that?!" Takuya hissed, still trying to pull Junpei free.

                "You never even guessed," chuckled the beast in Kouichi's voice, navy blue eyes glinting in the shadow of his bangs. "Where is he? He's right in front of you, fools…"

**_TBC…_**

Just as a note, because I know it wasn't very well explained: The plant that Xantha uses reacts violently when it senses that it's been touched by a living creature. However, it can only sense body temperature from skin-to-skin or skin-to-leaf contact, so when Sora or Riku touches the vines while wearing gloves, it doesn't react, but when Izumi and Kairi touch it with their bare hands, it goes nuts.


	29. Chapter 28: Confrontation

Whoo-hoo! Happy late holidays everyone, hoped you had a good one, and hope this chapter is worth the ridiculously long college-driven wait! (scrambles off to play Re: Chain of Memories)

Xantha's obscene language is brought to today you by the high school friend that I based his personality on and may not be appropriate for all audiences. Please make sure that your obscenity filters are securely in place if that kind of thing bothers you.

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Nothing at all. _

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 28: Confrontation**

"_Kouji…Riku…kun…"_

_The words were so soft that they were practically hidden in the heavy, pained breaths that forced their way from the boy's lungs in his last moments of consciousness. His navy blue eyes fogged over and turned the same cloudy, sickly gray of water that had been used to clean paint brushes, but this was only visible for a few fleeting seconds before hiding behind dark bangs as the boy's head dropped limply to his chest._

_Xantha smirked broadly as he pulled away from the limp form, his fingers clutching at the swirling darkness he had drawn from the younger boy's chest. The Heart that was hidden within squirmed and twisted in his grasp, trying in desperation to wrench itself free, but it was futile. The rings that Xantha wore on the second finger of each hand made sure of that – the ring on his left hand used Naraku's demonic powers to draw the Heart from its body, while the one on his right channeled the magic of Anubis's 'Shadow Realm' to trap it in his grasp. These rings would be useless after this, and their powers were already starting to wane, but Xantha found that he could care less. They had already served their purpose. _

_As Myotismon lay the unmoving, unfeeling body of Kouichi Kimura to one side, Xantha turned to face him, holding their prize out to him at arm's length. "Well? This is what you wanted, right?"_

_Myotismon smiled, as though enjoying the thought of someone he hated being disemboweled. He reached out and took the swirling darkness from the Nobody's hands, cradling it in his hands as though it were a bird that would fly if given half a chance. "More than you could ever imagine."_

"_Glad to be of service," Xantha bowed low with much dramatic swinging of the arms. The smirk disappeared from his face a moment later and he glared up at Myotismon with a serious expression. "Now…as you promised."_

"_Of course," Myotismon said icily, slipping the captured Heart into the dark folds of his cloak to hide it from sight. He pulled the cape around his body and adjusted it regally, wearing an expression to match, his dark eyes glinting behind his blood red mask. "I do have to remind you: this _will _be painful."_

_Xantha grit his teeth and clenched his fists, wincing a bit as he felt another layer of dying flesh crumble from his knuckles. "I can deal with it."_

"_As you wish," Myotismon smirked for a bare moment, his fangs glinting even in the dark not-light of the shadowed Realm, before he suddenly threw his arms back and tossed his cape wide open. "__**Grisly Wing!"**_

_From the never-ending darkness that the cloak had hidden away, thousands of bats suddenly took flight. They streamed through the air and descended on Xantha en masse, setting their hundreds of thousands of sharp fangs to work tearing his body into millions of tiny little shreds._

_The Nobody_'_s head jerked back and he bit down on his tongue sharply to muffle the shout of pain that would have otherwise sprung from him. The force of this brought a spurt of coppery blood into his mouth, but it didn't much matter because, within seconds, his entire body had been covered in demonic bats from head to toe. _

_The little creatures of the night did their dirty work with unnatural speed, dispersing a moment later to leave behind nothing but three black rings sitting atop a pile of black ash, framed by a mass of swirling, silver ectoplasm. _

_Myotismon smirked to himself, brushing the last of his pets away as he stepped forward. He ran a hand through the silvery-white smoke, scooping it into his grasp. It wriggled in his hand and up one arm as though to protest being manhandled in such away, but there was little that it could do as the vampire bore it over to the limp body that waited against the wall of rock. _

_The boy's body remained exactly the way that he had been when Myotismon had discarded him, his unfocused eyes staring blankly at the dark earth underneath him. Myotismon took his free hand and slipped the first two fingers under the boy's chin, guiding his face up to look to the sky. Gloved fingers slipped over the soft skin, keeping the face aloft and judging the skin of his throat for its taunt._

_Once he was satisfied, the vampire brought the smoky white ectoplasm to his lips and sucked it in. The white smoke disappeared into his mouth, small tendrils escaping from the corner of his lips, and Myotismon held his breath to prevent it from escaping any further. In the next motion, he ducked down and sank his fangs into the unconscious boy's neck, forcing the white smoke into the hole that he made there. _

_The deed done, Myotismon stepped back and dabbed at his mouth with a small black handkerchief. He licked at the drop of blood that had escaped to settle on his lips, sighing in a way that was almost wistful, and turned his gaze to the dark form. "There. It's done."_

_The dark haired boy's head jerked up so suddenly that he almost bashed it against the rock wall behind him. He sucked in a deep breath that was almost violent and broke almost instantly into a flurry of painted coughs. A series of vile obscenities poured from the previously quiet lips, followed quickly by a disgusted wretch and a glare. "That was freaky as _hell_, man, You are a freak of fucking nature just for that trick, you know that?" _

_Myotismon's smirk widened, just slightly. "So I've been told. All settled in, then?"_

"_Am I?" Xantha frowned, the expression feeling downright bizarre on the strange new face, and flexed his hands experimentally. "Hm…something's missing."_

_Shakily, like a child uncertain of his first steps, he climbed to his feet and stumbled over to the remains of his former body. Without a second thought, he dug his hand into the dust, rescuing the one ring that still had any hint of useful power in it along with a small, black seed from the depths of the soot._

_Holding the seed between the first two fingers of his right hand, he extended his arm slowly and just stared it._

_A second later, the seed burst to life, violently green vines exploding to their full length in a matter of moments. They extended outward in all directions, wrapped around his arms and torso in one way and shooting out the other to snatch the black Staff from the ground and drag it, fighting the entire way, into his hand._

_With the vines in place and the Staff of Darkness in his hands, Xantha let his old smirk – which practically _hurt_, in this stupid new body, he would have to fix that soon enough – crawl back over his face. "All right then. _Now_, I'm ready." _

**( - )**

"_Bastard!"_

Riku lunged, leaping over the vines and knocking Xantha backwards. He pressed the Soul Stealer against the parasite's throat, hissing in rage, but was met with nothing but a laugh.

"Careful," Xantha warned, his voice dripping with the saccharine sweetness of one who knows exactly what he wants and _exactly_ how to get it. "If you hurt me, you'll only be hurting him. And you wouldn't want to do something like that to someone that you _love_, now would you?"

To emphasize his point, he lifted both hands and ran them down Riku's outstretched arm, trailing each finger through the well-muscled grooves between biceps and wrist as suggestively as possible. Riku recoiled from the tough instantly and leapt back, leaving Kouichi's body to drop back into the silent at-rest state it had been in before.

Izumi was the next to react, pushing through the door and stumbling to a stop on the plush carpet, careful to keep her distance but still close enough to reach out for her friend desperately. "Kouichi, _please_," she implored. "I know you can fight this. You can't just let him use you like this, you're stronger than that!"

Xantha chuckled at that, flicking his wrist toward the girl in a flippant, off-hand manner. A pair of emerald-green vines snapped up from the carpet like a whip. It cracked out from under Izumi's feet, throwing her backwards several feet. Kairi darted forward to catch her friend from behind, a blast of water bursting from the pipes in the nearby wall to blast away the vines that had reached out for Izumi's ring.

"That was a nice try," Xantha smirked, rolling his shoulder in a lazy manner. "But the fact of the matter is, your little friend isn't home right now. No Heart, no reaction, no luck for your little plan. So sorry, Princess."

Kouji growled low in his throat, ripping away the remaining vines that were still trying to hold him to the bed. Xantha's act, the only way he'd been able to fool them all for so long, had been completely dropped, and Kouji was suddenly struck by the pure _wrongness_ that radiated from his brother's form. Kouichi had never slunk like that when moved, and he'd never leered in such a way or stretched his mouth into that horrible smirk. Seeing that familiar face, the same face he saw when he looked in the mirror, twisted into such a disgusting expression made Kouji feel sick, right in the depths of his stomach.

More than the sickness, it filled him with something more potent and infuriating: hatred. Nothing but pure, unadulterated hatred, all directed at the fiend that currently infested his brother's body.

He finally tore away the last of the vines and leapt out of bed, ignoring the jarring sensation that ran up both legs and spine. Before anyone could blink or even begin to comprehend what was happening, he had launched himself across the floor and struck his mirror image across the face with all the force he could muster.

Xantha slid back several feet on the force of the boy's blow, the vines wrapped around his body the only thing that kept him upright. The Items rattled around him like a broken wind chime, clattering together with a few dancing orange sparks and a half-hearted howl.

The Nobody hissed in pain, staring at Kouji with his brother's confused eyes. "You…You actually hit him. Your own brother."

"Damn straight," Kouji growled, rolling his spine back into a battle-ready, though unarmed, stance. "Kouichi would sooner _die_ than let a bastard like you use him like this."

Xantha laughed, forcing the sound out with a few pained puffs of air. "So. You're really going to kill him?"

"Hell no," Kouji sniffed, cracking his knuckles purposefully. "I'll beat you out of him myself."

With that, he leapt at Xantha again, throwing rapid-fire punches and kicks with the slight awkwardness of one who has been trained in hand-to-hand, but hasn't actually had a chance to put it into practice for quite a while. Xantha tried to slide back and dodge, but his own vines kept him in place, forcing him to whether the volley of blows and only rising up to catch about half of them before they actually connected with his flesh.

Xantha grunted under the attacks and pulled at his vines, yanking them up under Kouji's feet. They didn't send him flying the way that the Izumi had, but it disrupted just enough of his stance to make Kouji lose his balance, opening him up to a surprise attack from behind.

However, this offensive was stopped dead in its tracks by Riku's timely intervention, slicing the vines short with the Soul Stealer as he grabbed Kouji by the back of the shirt. The silver-haired warrior hoisted the smaller boy back to his feet, sliding them both away from their opponent with one swift motion. "Watch it."

"I don't need _your_ help," Kouji growled, feeling an entirely too familiar jab at his ego at the thought of being 'rescued' by the same boy _again_.

"Bullshit," Riku retorted, and tossed Kouji to the side with a flick of his wrist before turning on Xantha again. "Nobody's going to like it if you get hurt again. Especially not _him_."

From the way that the silver-haired boy said the word, Kouji knew that it had nothing to do with Xantha. A light spark of annoyance flickered across his mind, but it was quickly suppressed by the same hatred that had bubbled up from in him. As Sora leapt into the fray, riding a powerful wind summoned by Izumi's Ring, and Riku shot across the carpet to attack with the dull side of his blade, Kouji scanned the room for something, anything that he could use as a weapon.

Finally, he found it.

Xantha twisted around gracefully, swiping upward with his arms to block Riku and Sora's attacks with his vines, knocking the boys back. Next, Takuya took a running leap into the fight, swinging his leg towards the captured Ball in the most powerful soccer kick he could summon up, but a vine caught him by the ankle and tossed him away before he could actually reach it. Goofy took a running leap and caught the fallen Warrior of Fire before he could hit the ground, which, unfortunately, wound up with both of them sliding into the room's closet and disappearing under a small avalanche of fallen clothes.

A wide, crazy grin spread over Kouichi's face, his navy eyes flashing with the dark reflection of the Nobody behind the expression. He opened his mouth to crow another denouncement of their struggle when, suddenly, something bushy and solid struck him in the back of the head.

Kouji had seized one of the castle's living brooms and was now wielding it like a bo staff in spite of the way that it was frantically waving its thin little arms in protest.

"Round 2, bastard," Kouji snarled just before he attacked again.

Sora bounded back to his feet and launched into an attack of his own just seconds later, bringing the blunt Keyblade down on Xantha's shoulder. It was difficult for him, but he controlled the swing _just_ enough that he was fairly certain he hadn't broke any of Kouichi's bones. He did, however, knock Xantha to the ground and probably left a rather nasty bruise, to boot.

Xantha winced as he hit the ground, tangling in a mess of his own vines, and shot out a hand to grab for Sora's ankle. "Damn you!"

"Watch it, Sora!" Riku warned, yanking the Keyblade Master back and kicking the Nobody's injured shoulder to knock him away. In the same thought, Kouji twisted around and brought the broom down on Xantha's back, using the leverage to pin him, stomach-down, to the floor.

"Got you," Kouji muttered as Riku slipped the Soul Stealer under the pinned Nobody's chin. Xantha glared up at them with Kouichi's eyes – which should never have looked that cold, not in a million years - and snarled like a captured animal. Neither Riku nor Kouji backed down for a moment, but they did start to let their muscles relax the slightest bit, thinking the battle over…

And then Xantha smirked again.

"Kouji!" Electric sparks from Junpei's gauntlets flew over Kouji's head, making all the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and forcing his attention to Takuya's frantic warning. "The _vines!"_

In the same instant, Riku and Kouji leapt back from the floor, just seconds before three more sets of powerful vines blasted through the stone like cannonballs. Riku leapt up onto the vanity table and cut his attackers short; while Kouji grabbed onto a bedpost, spun around once and came back to knock the vines back with the broom, which made a disgruntled noise and crossed its arms sullenly.

Xantha took a deep, steadying breath and withdrew his attack, but more and more vines began to poke through the broken floor as he climbed slowly but surely to his feet.

"I don't think you folks understand your position here," he said slowly, keeping his voice in level in a sense of total control. "See, I haven't just been sitting around all this time. Even as we speak, my plants have been eating their way down, up and out of this room in every direction. At this point, they're the _only_ things keeping this wing of the castle standing. Knock me around too much and I might lose my grip. And if that happens…"

He released one of the vines that was curled around his hand, which snapped away like a bungee cord that had been pulled to its limit. Down the hall, there was a mighty crash, and the entire hall shook like an earthquake had hit it. A few of the gathered crowd shrieked and twisted around to defend themselves from an attack that didn't come, bracing against the rattling and trembling.

"I think you get the drift. I could destroy this entire castle with just one little twitch. I'll be safe, of course, I mean, my plants would never abandon their master, but I'm afraid you folks would be out of luck. Oh, and also? If your little friend there - " he pointed an accusatory finger at Taichi and Agumon, " – even thinks of gaining any more weight than he has now, he'll completely destabilize everything, and it'll all come down whether I want it to or not."

Agumon growled, bearing his teeth and claws, and Taichi gripped his Digivice tightly in his fist.

"So consider this your only warning," Xantha grinned, showing off almost all of the straight, white teeth in Kouichi's mouth. "Either you hand the rest of those shiny tools over to me and let me walk out of here with all of my plants intact, or I bring this entire castle down around your ears.

"So c'mon, folks – hand 'em over."

Kairi curled her fingers around the Water Pendant, holding the blue gem close to her chest. Her fingers gently traced the silver chain, feeling the pulse of the waves within the gem. The sound relaxed her and she sighed, looking up to meet Xantha's eye with an unwavering gaze. "All right, then. If we give you the Items…"

"Kairi, no!" Sora exclaimed, twisting the Keyblade in his grip.

"_If_ we give them to you," Kairi repeated, raising her voice to silence the Keyblade bearer. "Will you let Kouichi go?"

Xantha raised an eyebrow, as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing. When he figured out that Kairi was actually being series, he laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?" Junpei demanded, slamming one foot against the ground angrily. A flurry of sparks flew from the gauntlets on his hands, but it only seemed to make the Nobody laugh louder. "What the hell are you laughing at, you creep?"

"I just can't believe how stupidly naïve you idiots are," Xantha snickered, his laughter calming slowly but surely. "It's like you really don't get it. Listen, princess, the kid is _gone_. He doesn't exist anymore! There's nothing to 'let go' of 'cause there's nobody home! Nothing, nobody and no way!"

Kouji growled, his muscles curling in preparation to pounce, but before he could react, Junpei did instead. The large boy let out the sort of roar that he might have shouted as a full-fledged legendary warrior, slamming his gauntlets together and summoning a bubble of pure electric energy. He moved faster than most people would believe that a boy his size could move, slamming his fists into Xantha's chest at the same time. The electric bubble exploded on contact, the energy pulsing through the entire body and spreading out into the vines.

Xantha howled in pain, the vines twisting and writing around him in a halo of sporadic jerks. He yanked both of his arms into his chest, then snapped them out from the center like a whip, bringing the crazed vines back under control for a single group attack.

The mass of vines shot out together, crashing into Junpei as one and sending him flying. Junpei yelped as he was suddenly shot through the air, crashing into the far wall hard enough to crack the wooden paneling on the wall. He fell to the ground, groaning in pain, as the vines wrapped around his hands and began to pull at the gauntlets forcefully.

"Junpei!" Izumi exclaimed, and darted across the room to her friend's side.

"Not so fast!" Xantha snapped, aiming at her, but in the next moment, his vines stopped cold – literally.

Tomoki had leapt into the air, kicking off the back wall to arch over Xantha's head. The Board strapped to his feet showered the writhing green vines with a heavy frost, stopping the sensitive green plants in withering masses of brown death. An extra blast of pure cold and ice directly over Xantha's head froze the vine instantly and sent the smaller boy shooting through the air again, landing on the ground several feet away.

Tomoki sniffed as he landed, glaring at Xantha with slightly red-rimmed eyes, as though he couldn't stand the thought of losing a friend the way that the Nobody had claimed. "There's more where that came from, you jerk. And don't even _think_ of hurting my friends again."

"Y-You'll p-pay for that," Xantha shivered, his teeth chattering together, fighting against the ice as best he could, reaching for another attack. "Y-You little b-brat…!"

Riku and Sora shared a glance, and a second later, Sora and Kouji did the same. The same thought seemed to pass through all of their heads, and, without saying a word, they leapt – Sora bearing the Keyblade, Riku attacking with the Soul Stealer and Kouji raising the very disgruntled-looking broom as threateningly as he could.

Three resounding cracks echoed through the air as the three weapons connected with their intended target – not Xantha's body, but the now-frozen vines that were holding the Items hostage. The fragile plants shattered under the blow, sending shard of ice in all directions, and the Items, as though waiting for just this chance, leapt into action.

By the time they'd made it over the mass of vines and back to solid ground, the Steel Shield was once again attached to Riku's left arm, and the Sager was back in Kouji's hand, howling softly in joy. The Ball shot across the room and slammed into Takuya's chest like an overly-excited dog, sparking to life the moment it struck his hands and knocking the air from his lungs. The only two Items that didn't escape were the Staff, which clattered to the ground and rolled away as though trying to escape, and the strange Whip of Wood, which remained firmly wrapped around Xantha's arm.

Even though he himself had not been struck by the attack or even the resulting shrapnel of ice blades, Xantha howled in pain. "You…You _murderers!_ Do you know how _long_ it takes those vines to grow naturally, huh?! They're worth more than this entire wretched _planet!_"

"Yeah," Kouji spat off to one side in disgust, gripping the Sager with both hands. "We'll send Mother Nature a fruit basket to make it up to her."

Xantha snarled, glaring at Kouji with an intense, burning hatred. "I warned you assholes," he hissed, parting his legs slightly to give himself a more solid stance as he drew the vines in close to himself. "Guess the castle's coming down."

"Somebody _stop _him!" Donald squawked, and fired a Fira blast from his staff. Without a second's pause, a thick wall of vines shot up and blocked Xantha from the attack, barely noticing the black scorched circle that was left behind.

Riku moved next, his fast reflexes giving him a head start over Sora and Kouji. He used the returned Shield to throw the plants out of his way and slashed at Xantha's midsection with the Soul Stealer.

The Nobody shifted his weight and ducked down, pulling the vines even tighter than before as he swept his leg under Riku's feet. The entire castle trembled as Riku hit the floor, and the ground shook so badly that he couldn't get back to his feet.

As Xantha straightened, Kouji and Sora leapt into the air from either side, their respective weapons of Light blazing into their attack. The Nobody twisted, blocking an attack with each armful of vines and holding the two at bay. He grinned at the pair as they lost their momentum, twisting Kouichi's face into something almost unrecognizable, and released a vine from each hand. They snapped away, striking Sora in the knee and Kouji across the face before they disappeared, sending the Keyblade Master to the ground and knocking the dark-haired boy back several steps.

The Willow Whip reacted before Kouji could get his feet back under him, striking out at Kouji. The Sager howled in protest, the force of its sound tearing through the weaker vines and knocking the Whip away more than once, but the Item of Wood kept coming. It struck Kouji twice more – once on the shoulder and once directly in the chest – before it finally succeeded in knocking him to the floor.

"Give it up!" Xantha chortled as his Item retracted, curling back around his shoulder and flipping its leafy tip as though making fun of the Sager. "I already warned you once!"

Agumon charged from the side, slicing at the defending vines with his claws before puffing up into his classic fireball technique, "_Baby Flame!"_

At the same time, Takuya tossed the Ball into the air, twisting around in mid-air to kick it as hard as he could. It shot towards the Nobody like a flaming cannon ball, propelled ever faster by the sudden stream of wind that Izumi pushed behind it. On Xantha's other side, Tomoki and Junpei took up the charge again, firing bolts of lightning and huge shards of ice into the thrall.

Unfortunately, all of this was for naught, as the sudden release of destruction into the heart of the castle had freed up hundreds of vines to act as protectors. Walls of them sprung up in front of their master, more than willing to face fire and ice and death for his sake, and whatever did make it past was blocked by the Whip, which moved wildly on its own like the commander of a half-crazed army.

"It's _over!_" Xantha roared triumphantly, giving the vines one final, gargantuan tug before he released all the vines at one. The castle jerked violently, knocking most everyone off their feet and sending heavy decorations crashing to the ground. Everything trembled and shook like the mother of all earthquakes, completely with the cracking and crumbling noises that filled the air. The castle's inhabitants scrambled for cover and held on to one another for dear life for a few long, horrifying moments before…

_Nothing_ happened.

The rumbling stopped as suddenly as it had begun, and the shock of that was enough to knock those who had been left standing – Junpei and Goofy, to everyone's surprise – to the ground. Within seconds, the entire castle went entirely still, with only broken decorations and the occasional crack in the walls and ceiling left as testament to the destruction the attack had almost wrought.

"…The _HELL?!"_ Xantha shouted, twisting his head this way and that in utter confusion. "This…this is _impossible! _This can't happen!"

"Of course it can."

The recovering group of attackers, who were still coming to terms with the fact that they were not, in fact, dead and buried under several hundred tons of heavy rubble, looked up at the door as one at the calm announcement. King Mickey, looking more serious than either Sora or Riku had ever seen him look before, stepped through the door with his Keyblade in hand, his beady black eyes narrowed in Xantha's direction.

"This is no ordinary castle," he said simply, as though it were the most normal announcement in the world. "It's been fortified by the magic of the Cornerstone, deep in the dungeons underground were your planets never even though to look. As long as that stone isn't touched, there isn't anything from any world that could bring this castle down, no matter what you do to it."

Sora stared at the little mouse kind in disbelief for a few long moments before he burst out laughing. He planted his feet in the soft carpet and pushed back into a full upright position, laughing the whole time, and planted his hands on his hips. "Well, jeez, Your Majesty. You could've told us that sooner!"

Mickey grinned. "You never asked."

Xantha, meanwhile, was trembling with rage and – though he would never had admitted it – fear. Coiling up his arm, the Wood Whip brushed its leaves against his head and its grip against the palm of his hand, asking to be used. Xantha snatched it at its center point and threw it away, snapping, "Get _off_ of me, you useless thing! I don't need your bloody help! I don't need _anyone's_ help!"

Junpei scoffed, rubbing the dust off his face with his elbow. "You know, man, that's the problem with you."

The Nobody twisted around, glaring daggers. "What was that?"

"Junpei's right," Tomoki chimed in. "You thought you could handle everything all on your own, did'ja? But there's no way that anybody can be _completely_ alone."

"Everything's connected," Kairi chimed in, meeting Izumi's eye with a smile. "Every_one_ is connected. If people don't reach out to help each other, they're bound to fall sooner or later."

"And now it's too late for you to find _anybody_," Takuya grinned a very particular grin that he saved exclusively for beating bad guys, and gave Xantha a definite 'thumbs-down.' "Game over, buddy."

"Shut up! Shut _up!_" Xantha roared, and suddenly darted across the room. Taking a running leap, he snatched the Darkness Staff from the corner where it had rolled, somersaulting back onto his feet to turn on the first person he came to – Kairi. "I'll show you! I'll show _all_ of you!"

Kairi took a step back, the Pendant around her neck glowing like the sea at sunset. A stream of water shot from the same pipe she had broke through before, striking Xantha with all the force of a fire hose and knocking him off-course.

Sora stepped into the parasite's stumbling path, bringing the Keyblade up to strike from below and knock him backwards. The Keyblade Master smirked as Xantha stumbled back several haphazard steps. "Looks like you're going to have to rethink your plan."

"We've got you out-numbered and out-gunned," Junpei added, gripping his fists until sparks flew from the Gauntlets. "Just give it up, and get the hell out of our friend's body."

Xantha hissed, dropping into a kneeling position just long enough to catch his breath, glaring at the group that was slowly surrounding him. "There's no way I'm giving up now…" he muttered, before he realized that there was something very wrong with his hands. "What the _hell…?"_

Tendrils of darkness had blossomed from the decorative carvings on the Staff, wrapping around his wrists to pull his palms flat against the Item itself. When Xantha tried to pull his hands away, the darkness pulled more strongly, holding him as tightly as iron chains.

"And _that_," Sora smirked, "should teach you not to use something that doesn't belong to you!"

Xantha stumbled back, still fighting with the Staff, and looked wildly for an exit. Before he could even think about making a run for it, Kouji and Riku advanced at the same time from opposite ends of the room. On instinct, they grabbed opposite ends of the staff and lifted at the same time, forcing Xantha's hands above his head.

"Hang 'em high, boys!" Mickey shouted, branching his Keyblade purposefully.

Kouji leapt onto the desk as Riku mounted the window seat, hoisting the Staff up until the still-struggling Xantha was dangling inches off the ground by his hands. The Nobody in their friend's body kicked and squirmed and shouted, desperate to get free, but neither of the boys lost their grip – or their determination – for even a second.

Mickey crossed the room with a few long bounds, using the desk chair as a final leverage to leap into the air. He swung the Keyblade around, pointing directly at Kouichi's chest, and seemed to stop in midair.

A burst of cold blue light shot from the tip of his blade, connecting with the boy's chest as solidly as any of Sora's actions had connected with the heart of a Keyhole. Xantha screamed in rage and pain, the sound slowly drifting away into nothing as a swirling silver mass was pushed by the light out Kouichi's back.

When the light had faded and Mickey dropped back to the floor, the churning silver smoke remained for a few long moments before it finally dissipated, evaporating into the air around them. With a noise that sounded distinctly like a high-pitched sob, the Willow Whip curled up on itself and disappeared into an orb of forest-green light, which passed through the closed window and disappeared up into the starry night sky.

A second later, the Darkness Staff released its hold on the now-limp body dangling from it. Both Kouji and Riku reacted to this, but the silver-haired boy had a longer reach and managed to catch the smaller boy before he hit the ground.

As the group gathered around, Riku slowly guided the body to the floor and Kouji moved to kneel beside him. Slowly, the younger twin reached out and touched the familiar face before him, keeping his touches as gentle as a feather's. "Kouichi…"

Dark, unreceptive eyes stared at them from under dark blue bangs, and, for a long while, Disney Castle was completely and utterly still.

**( - )**

He was alive. That was better than the alternative.

Kouji had to keep reminding himself of that, because it was so hard to remember that it _could_ have been so much worse. It was especially difficult when he looked into his brother's blank, lifeless, half-lidded eyes and knew that there was nothing behind them. No warm and loving heart, no strong and forgiving spirit, no devoted courage.

No Kouichi.

"Nii-san…" Kouji whispered, his voice breaking slightly as he leaned down to lay his forehead against his brother's. "Kouichi…"

On the other side of the bed, Queen Minnie sighed and gently set the hand she had been holding back on top of the soft covers. She turned away and faced her apprehensive audience – made up of everyone except for Donald and Goofy, who were helping to clean up the last of Xantha's mess – with a heavy heart.

"I'm afraid that there's nothing I can do," she admitted, shaking her head regretfully. "There's nothing to heal. Physically, he's perfectly healthy, but without his heart…"

She trailed off, letting them fill in the silence with their own knowledge. Izumi clasped one hand over her mouth, using the other to pull Tomoki into a half-hug, one that gave her more comfort than it did the smaller boy. "Kouichi…"

Junpei clenched his fists and his teeth, careful that the Gauntlet's sparks didn't hurt any of his gathered friends, and averted his eyes. "So then there's…there's no way for us to help him…"

Sora clenched his hands into fists remembering how it had been when Kairi had been in the same state, and felt positively sickened. "There has to be _something_ we can do!"

"There is," said Riku seriously from his place leaning against the wall. "We find Myotismon, hunt him down and take back Kouichi's Heart. Once we bring that back, he'll wake up."

"And everything will be okay again," Kairi chimed in, clenching her hands over the Pendant. "Like it was with me."

Mickey nodded, his eyes narrowing with the stubborn determination of a parent whose child has come under attack. "The space around Crystal Tokyo is still warped from Beryl's spell. If we use both of our Keyblades, Sora, we should be able to create a warp that will take us straight to Myotismon. But it won't be strong enough to handle more than one Gummi ship, so we won't be able to take everyone."

"So then," Sora frowned, trying to think of a way they could best use what resources they had. "It'll be you, me, Kouji and…"

"I'm going," Riku insisted, in a way that left absolutely no room for debate.

"Me too!" chimed in Takuya, his eyes blazing as fiercely as the Ball in his hands. "There's no way I'm letting that creep get away with this!"

There was no objection from the rest of the group, though Tomoki, Izumi and Junpei exchanged looks that indicated they wished there was room for them, too.

Tai made a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat, placing one hand on Takuya's shoulder. "Listen, pal. Nobody knows Myotismon better than me and Agumon. So, before you guys go running off all half-cocked, let me give you some advice…"

Takuya's attention, along with that of King Mickey and most of the rest of the group, turned to the elder DigiDestined expectantly. In fact, the only ones who didn't seem to feel any need to listen in were Kouji, who remained at his brother's side devotedly, and Riku, who was gazing at the twins from across the room with a distant expression.

Kouji held onto Kouichi's limp hand with both of his own, resting it against his cheek. His face was warm, but the hand itself was cold and clammy, sending a sick chill down his spine. He suppressed a shudder and held on more tightly, whispering to his brother now that no one else was listening in.

"Don't worry, Nii-san," he breathed gently, stroking the skin on his brother's palm with feather-like touches. "I'll bring your Heart back to you as soon as I can. I'm going to save you for real this time. I promise."

He gave the hand another tight squeeze and looked to his brother's still face. For a split second, he almost believed that he saw a flicker of light in the depths of the dark eyes, but it had vanished in the next moment. Kouji sighed, setting his brother's hand down, and took just a moment to close those haunting, lifeless eyes before returning to his friends and beginning the plans for their rescue mission's first steps…

_**TBC…**_


	30. Chapter 29: The Cauldron

You know, when I initially plotted this series, it was supposed to have 20 chapters, 21 at most, including the prologue. At this rate, it looks like the final total is going to be 31, plus prologue and epilogue. Curse you, constantly-evolving writing style!

On a related note, I have officially been writing this story for four years. For some reason, that thought terrifies me.

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Nothing at all. _

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 29: The Cauldron**

"_Myotismon is no normal bad guy, trust me on this. He's a real monster, as cold and heartless as Digimon come, and he'd a hell of a lot stronger than he looks. Back home, our group fought and killed him – _three times_. It was literally a miracle every time, but it was never enough to bring him down for good. And now, if he's got his hands on this Cauldron thing…well, all I can say is, what's good for Myotismon is bound to be bad for everyone else…"_

A sudden shock brought Kouji out of his thoughts and sent him scrambling for a hand-hold as the Gummi ship rolled haphazardly to one side. "Hell, can't you steer this thing straight?"

"Sorry, sorry!" Mickey piped up from behind the wheel, not sounding sorry at all. "Looks like all the magical warping has made this area a bit rougher than usual. It's gonna be pretty bumpy from here on out."

With another twist of the controls, the Gummi Ship bobbed to the opposite side. Kouji braced himself again, holding on to the Sager with one hand and mumbling under his breath. On the floor in front of him, Takuya grinned up from where he sat, half-curled around the Ball. "It's not that bad, Kouji."

"Yes it is," Sora muttered, swinging his legs around so he was once more sitting up-right in his captain's chair.

On the other side of the ship, in place of where Donald normally sat when he wasn't piloting, Riku was staring at the window at the inter-world space with a light smirk on his face. "This is nothing," he said confidently, hardly even moving as the ship rolled back and forth. "It could get a lot worse in the rougher terrains of the Realm of Darkness. There was even once place where you got thrown around like this on solid ground."

"Really?" Sora asked, intrigued. Kouji deepened his scowl a bit.

"Oh yeah!" Mickey grinned broadly, twisting around for just a moment to join in the conversation. "I remember that! That was right before we met Kouichi!"

Riku's eyes softened. "Was that when that was…?"

"Sure it was!" Mickey turned back to driving, but continued on with his story brightly. "It was that very next town that we met him. Poor kid was so tired, and his fever was so bad, he ran right in to us…"

"Fever?" Kouji sat up straight, his entire body tensing. "What fever?"

Mickey hummed a bit, noncommittally. "Not really sure, truth be told. Just a fever. He was pretty out of it for a couple of weeks. I suppose the trip must have been pretty rough on him."

"He got over it fast enough, though," Riku nodded with a slight smile. "He's pretty tough, even if he doesn't really look it."

Sora's grin spread out a bit further. Wow, its sounds like you guys got along great together!"

"Yeah…great…" Kouji muttered, looking very annoyed, as though he was busy contemplating the way that the Gummi blocks were squished together to form the ship.

Mickey grinned again, like an old man reflecting on the adventures of his youth. "More than that, even. Riku and Kouichi even fought really well together. You should've _seen_ the way they'd combine their Dark Fira attacks to blow away the Heartless. It was awesome!"

"I wish I could have seen it," Sora turned to Riku with a light-hearted laugh. "You guys'll have to show me after we get back!"

Riku stared at his old friend for a baffled moment before his face finally softened back into a content, relaxed smile. "Yeah. We'll have to do that sometime."

Kouji humph'ed, crossing his arms over his chest. "At least my brother got _something_ out of you."

"And just what is _that_ supposed to mean?" Riku snapped.

"If I'd been there, Kouichi wouldn't have had to learn how to defend himself –"

"He _wanted_ to learn!"

"- and _we _wouldn't have to rescue him now, because _I _would have kept an eye on him!" Kouji's voice dropped into the range of a low hiss and he clenched his fists to keep himself under control. "I would have been able to protect him."

Riku was on his feet in the next instant, Sora's position between them the only thing that kept him from leaping at Kouji with fangs barred. "Listen, _kid_. You have no idea what it's like to deal with an entire _world_ that's trying to kill you. Every movement could be an enemy, and there _are_ no friends. _That's_ the kind of place we were up against!" He clenched his fists tight, stretching out the black leather of his gloves, and forced himself to relax with a deep breath. "What do you know, anyway? You had the Keyblade Master to protect _you_."

"Feh," Kouji climbed to his feet. "More like I was protecting him."

"Hey-!"

"Why the hell should I listen to _you_, anyway?" Kouji snapped, cutting Sora off and glaring at Riku across the cabin. "I don't even know why you came along in the first place."

"I came to save Kouichi," Riku hissed. "He's impor…he's my _friend_. I have to help him."

Kouji sniffed. "You weren't a lot of help to him before."

Sora glanced between his friends with a confused expression, unsure who he could side with or if he really wanted to at all. "C'mon, guys…chill out. We're all friends here, right?"

"Not with _him_," Kouji snapped, dropping back into his chair. "_Never_ with him."

Riku clenched his hands into fists and glared daggers at the younger boy. "How the hell did you put up with this brat for so long, Sora? I think I would have killed him by now."

Sora laughed awkwardly, and then realized that Riku wasn't making a joke. He squelched the urge to point out Kouji and Riku's similarities. He shared a quick, awkward glance with Takuya before the goggle-wearing boy turned away to engage Kouji in less combative conversation. Forcing a smile onto his face, Sora turned to Riku to do the same."Really, Riku…Kouji's not _that_ bad."

"He's a stubborn, self-centered, egotistical little brat," Riku sniffed. "And the way he looks at people, always down his nose, like he's better than them. Kouichi would never…"

He stopped in mid-sentence, closing his mouth. His blue eyes grew somewhat distant, gazing off into nothing.

"Your twin was pretty different, huh?" Sora asked gently, taking note of the seriousness in his friend's expression.

"Yeah. Very," Riku sighed, forcing himself to relax one muscle at a time. "Kouichi was…_is_…sweet. Gentle. Kind. I never thought his twin would be so…so…"

"Stern?" Sora guessed, quickly searching his mind for all the adjectives he could come up with to describe Kouji. "Serious? Disciplined? Stubborn? Aggressive?"

"_Aggravating!"_ Riku hissed through his teeth. "They're so different; I can't believe they're even related. If it wasn't for his face…"

He tightened his fists a bit more, his arms shaking with the built-up pressure. Sora rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, leaning back in his captain's chair. He couldn't really say that he understood where his friend – either of them – was really coming from, and it confused him. They both wanted the same thing, after all. Was it really so bad to expect them to work together?

A sudden, violent jerk threw Sora from his seat, sending him rolling to the front of the cabin along with Takuya. Kouji and Riku were both jarred from their chairs roughly, but managed to keep their balance enough to keep from rolling forward. However, the sudden shock did nothing to help Kouji's move, and he glared at the cockpit savagely. "What the hell was _that_?"

"Hang on to your hats, boys!" Mickey called back, rolling the controls around in a wide arc contrary to the way the harsh interstellar winds were pushing the ship around. "We're nearly to the portal!"

Through the ship's front window, they could see the way that the otherwise endless void of space and debris began to swirl together into one point, as though it was all being sucked down a cosmic drain. At the point where it all began to come together and collide, a series of explosions lit up the black nothingness, swirling together into a single gleaming point, flickering with pulsing elemental light.

"We're almost to the event horizon!" Mickey called back, holding the wheel in place with one hand. "One of you better get up here and hold us steady!"

"R-Right!" Takuya dove over the seats and grabbed the controls with both hands. "What do I do?"

"Just hold us right there!" Mickey jumped back over Takuya's head, drawing his Keyblade with one hand as he did. "Sora, let's go!"

Sora nodded in affirmation and conjured up his own Keyblade. He swung it around, just over Mickey's head as the King landed in front of him. The two Keyblade Masters focused their energy through their magical weapons, summoning an impossibly bright white light from the tips of the keys. The light of the gate began to pulse, perfectly in time with the pulsations of the Keyblades.

Moments later, duel blasts of light shot from the Keyblades, passed through the windshield and disappeared into the center of the wormhole. Within seconds, the swirling storm of elemental light had vanished, blending together and stabilizing into a smooth, slivery, flat surface.

"Okay!" Mickey shouted. "Step on it!"

"Right!" Takuya shoved the controls forward, shooting the Gummi Ship into the center of the portal.

It was not, by any stretch of the imagination, the easiest ride that any of the passengers had ever known. Takuya gripped the steering controls so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Sora and Mickey hit the floor, rolling to absorb the impact and grabbing on to the first semi-solid object that they collided with. In the back, Kouji and Riku held on to their chairs for dear life. All around them, a blinding silver light gleamed, permeating every nook of the Gummi Ship and every cranny of their brains, becoming more and more radiant with every passing second until…

They finally reached the end.

**( - )**

Sora had always believed, with all of his heart, that he knew what light was.

It seemed like a fairly reasonable assumption to make, given that he _was_ the Keyblade Master, 'Chosen Hero of Light' and all. He had seen light reflected off of mirrors and moons, filtered through water, through clouds and through darkness itself. He had seen it on many different worlds and watched it shine from countless Hearts. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was quite familiar with light.

But never, in all of his travels, had he seen a light like this.

This light was so bright and all-encompassing that it chased the darkness of empty space away to the very edge of the visible world. Even that thin little strip of darkness was faded and obscured by the light of millions and millions of stars, all of them pale in comparison to what was the exact center of the universe. There did not seem to be a beginning to the Light, nor was there an end. It was beautiful, eternal and terrifying.

"I feel a little sick…" Sora muttered, breaking the uneasy silence that had filled the ship.

"I feel _really_ sick," groaned Takuya for entirely different reasons.

Riku grunted a bit, folding one hand over his heart. Kouji closed his eyes and rubbed at his temples as though trying to relieve a migraine.

"That's a good sign," Mickey assured them, not taking his eyes off his piloting. "That's the darkness in your Hearts reacting to the Cauldron's protective light. It'll settle down once you get used to it."

Sora wrinkled his nose. "How is darkness in our Hearts a _good_ thing?"

"It means your Heart's still right where it's supposed to be," Mickey chuckled, sparing Sora a bright wink before turning his eyes to the endless light again. "There. I'll bet'cha anything that's where we'll find Myotismon."

Floating in the middle of the endless plain of light was a single dark splotch – a misshapen blemish on the face of the otherwise pristine expanse. Upon closer inspection, it revealed itself to be a castle, or, rather, a single tower, like the rook piece in a chess game, with a long row of steps descending from it into nothing.

Mickey closed in on the floating tower, setting the Gummi ship into a lazy orbit before switching on the autopilot and jumping back over the chairs.

Staring at the black castle steadily, Sora clenched and unclenched his fists. "Are you sure about this, Your Majesty?"

"Absolutely," Mickey said as he punched in the last coordinates into the teleporter. "Only the Dark Hearts could maintain something that dark so close to this barrier."

"Then let's _go_."

Kouji and Riku stopped, realizing that they had just spoken at the same time, and exchanged a mutual glare of dislike. Takuya laughed. "Guess you guys are on the same wavelength after all."

Both of the swordsmen shot him a withering glare, but before anyone could say anything more, an explosion rang out. From the black tower, a cloud of darkness and purple energy blossomed outwards. The entire Gummi Ship rocked back and forth so violently that its occupants had to struggle to remain on their feet.

Mickey rolled with the blow, popping back onto his feet a moment later. "We need to hurry! Myotismon has already begun breaking through the barrier!" He brought his gloved hand down on the large, red button and the teleporter buzzed to life.

Kouji paused by the window one last time to stare down at their destination. His hear thumped almost painfully in his chest, resonating with the castle's pulsing darkness. Kouichi was there. He knew that as completely as he knew his own name. Kouichi was in there, waiting for him, just out of reach. He wouldn't be for long.

"_I'm coming, Nii-san,"_ Kouji thought as he stepped into the teleporter. "_I'm coming for you. So please…Kouichi…just hold on."_

**( - )**

As it turned out, the castle was much larger on the inside than it was on the outside. This, in itself was not so much of a surprise – after all, they were all familiar with the magic and had experienced much stranger things in all of their other-worldly travels. What struck them as odd was exactly _how_ it was bigger.

From the moment they entered the wrought-iron gate, the ceiling remained the exact same height, curving above them in a high, pointed arch. It continued on in an impossibly long, gothic hallway that never seemed to get any shorter no matter how far down it they traveled. Despite the odd, unsettling illusion that they were running in place, the end soon became apparent when a light literally appeared at the end of the tunnel.

The light, while still as magnificent as it had been outside, was not on the same impossibly huge scale as the barricade's full brilliance. Indeed, it was as tough a small portion of that endless light was being shown through a dark indigo filter, one that grew gradually darker and darker with each earth-shattering burst of power.

Standing in front of this light, right in the middle of the arching doorway, was Myotismon.

Somehow, at this close range, the vampire Digimon seemed…swollen. The dark aura that emanated from him was pervasive and corrupting. When he turned to face the five intruders, it was with a fanged smile firmly plastered on his face.

"Well, well, look who finally arrived…" he drawled, flashing his fangs.

Sora gripped the Keyblade with both hands. "Myotismon, what have you done with those Hearts?"

"You mean these?" Myotismon lifted his hands from his chest, holding them out as though he was making a religious offering. Resting in his palms was a shimmering violet Heart, pulsing with darkness.

Takuya swallowed hard. "At least they're safe…"

"_That_ one is," Riku hissed, "but what about the other six?"

Myotismon's grin widened and his fangs flashed in the light. His fingers curled inward, pressing into the shimmering flesh. The Heart's pulses became faster, brighter and more frantic.

Kouji grabbed at his chest, gasping a bit as his own heart began to race wildly. "Kouichi…!"

Riku's eyes snapped to him. "What?"

"Kouichi…that's Kouichi's Heart!" Kouji lit the Sager with a swipe of his arm, glaring up at Myotismon harshly. "That's my brother's heart!"

"Saved the sweetest for last," Myotismon whispered. He brought the Heart up to his face and took a deep breath, savoring its fragrance as a connoisseur would a fine wine. "So tender and rich, the purest darkness holding its form through nothing but sheer elemental will, marinated to perfection in the dark realms that first spawned the Heartless themselves."

His words fell on their ears like sandbags, realization of his true meaning sinking in with a heavy weight.

"Oh _god_," Takuya whispered, his face going white. "He _didn't_…!"

Mickey jumped forward, jabbing his Keyblade at their opponent threateningly. "Don't you _dare!_"

Myotismon let his smirk widen just a bit more before his lips slowly parted. With a _pop_, he unhooked his jaw like a snake and drew the Heart in.

Kouji shifted his stance just before he leapt, putting him just one step behind Riku. One of them – or maybe both of them – cried, "No!" They swung their weapons through the air, one a blazing beam of light, the dull shadow descending on its prey, both aimed on a single target – Myotismon's throat.

At the last moment, Myotismon's arm shot up with lightning speed, brandishing a whip made of blood-red energy. The whip caught Kouji across the chest, knocking him back and leaving a long cut across his clothes. The Digimon's arm blocked Riku's attack without even flinching. With barely a flick of his wrist, a sudden blast of darkness was summoned up to send the silver-haired warrior flying.

"Riku!" Sora gasped, joined by Takuya. "Kouji!"

"Kouichi…!" the King gasped. "No!"

By then, there was no stopping it.

Myotismon pulled the entire Heart into his mouth, pushing his lower jaw with his hand. There was a sickening _pop_ as his mandible was pushed back into place, snapping closed around the still-pulsing Heart. The five attackers could only stare in horror as the vampire slowly chewed and swallowed it all in one breath.

"_No!"_ Riku shouted again, more fiercely than before in spite of the fact that he was still struggling back to his feet. "No, no, _no!_"

Myotismon gulped, quite loudly, pushing the bulge the rest of the way down his throat. Almost instantly, the atmosphere around him changed. That was really the only word that could be used to describe the sudden shift from underlying foreboding to a ravenous, all-consuming vacuum of darkness. The 'filter' that separated them from the Cauldron's protective light darkened until even that startling brightness had been almost completely blocked out. The near-total darkness only served to illuminate the gleaming, ultraviolent aura that had blossomed from Myotismon's body, twining around him like gleaming purple flames.

"Oh, yes," the vampire gasped breathlessly. "It's mine…It's mine! Raw darkness, the power of purest shadows, it's all mine!"

Mickey growled low in his throat, startling Sora – he'd never heard the king sound so vicious. The little mouse gripped his weapon and leapt forward with tremendous speed, like a cannonball. "You _monster!_"

The thin Keyblade left a trail of golden light in its wake as Mickey hoisted it over his head with both hands. He brought it down with all the force his little body could muster, slicing through Myotismon's shielding darkness as effortlessly as cutting through smoke. Myotismon caught the blow with his forearm, the way he had with Riku's earlier attack, but this time was thrown back. The steel toes of his boots left shallow scratches across the floor as he skidded backwards.

Mickey landed where Myotismon had been, pivoted around and leapt again swiping at his side this time. Myotismon summoned his blood-red whip again, parrying the King's attack before responding with one of his own. Within seconds, the two were lost in a flurry of magical sparks, blazing red lightning and clashing blades.

"_Damn_ they're fast," Takuya muttered under his breath as he pulled Kouji back to his feet.

The Warrior of Light stumbled a bit unsteadily and shot his friend an annoyed glare. "You shouldn't be wasting your time here! Help _him_! He's the one that's fighting!"

"Are you kidding me?" Takuya slammed his hand against the Ball in frustration, sparking it off. "They're way too quick! I'd be lucky not to hit the King!"

A few feet away, Sora grit his teeth and curled his fingers all the more tightly around the handle of the Keyblade. Forcing his mind to focus, he stared into the swirling mess that was the one-on-one battle, until he finally caught sight of the sign he had been looking for – the golden key bouncing backwards on the force of a counter-attack. In that instant, the Keyblade Master sprang forward, bounding into the fight without a second thought…

…only to be stopped, dead in his tracks, by a wall of darkness that leapt from the floor to defend Myotismon.

"Dammit!" Sora swore, pushing into the darkness with all his might. "I can't get through!"

Riku, finally getting his senses back, rushed up behind the Keyblade Master with his weapon barred. "Sora, duck down!"

Acting on instinct, Sora hunched down just before his friend reached him. Riku jumped and planted his foot firmly between Sora's shoulder blades, using the smaller boy as a boost to leap over Myotismon's defensive wall.

As though it had been expecting just that, the wall suddenly burst upwards and caught Riku from below. The silver-haired warrior twisted around and slammed the Shield down on the dark wall. He used that point as a pivot to flip over the top of the barrier, but the darkness only shot up again to catch him from the side this time. He took the blow and rolled when he hit the floor, cursing savagely.

Kouji shook off his disorientation, slipping into a fighting stance, but not as fast as Takuya. The Warrior of Flame leapt forward, tossing the Ball up into the air and firing it at Myotismon with all of his might.

A wall of darkness shot up from Myotismon's swirling resources, catching the ball like the net of a soccer goal. The ball spun in place, sending sparks flying in all directions, until its momentum finally ran out and it rolled free. Takuya dove to catch the Ball as it bounced away, swearing under his breath. "Dammit!"

Kouji shot past him, the Sager flashing in the gloom but, before he could even reach the darkness, Myotismon broke away from Mickey for a split second. His violet eyes flashed a brief wine red as he knocked the mouse king away and turned to the boys.

"I've had enough of you!" Myotismon hissed. "_Graviaja!_"

Kouji, who was still in mid-lunge, was suddenly stopped in his tracks by Riku, who grabbed him by the arm. "What the _hell_ are you doing?"

"Don't just stand there, move!" the older boy shouted as he struggled to drag him in the opposite direction. "We have to get clear before…!"

But there was nowhere to run.

A huge sphere of darkness, so wide that it breached the walls of the hallway, spread out from Myotismon's central point and consumed them all with tremendous force. Under the force of the magic, their bodies were suddenly heavier than lead. The increased pressure pulled them to the floor, pressed flat against the cold black rock.

Sora groaned and tried to push himself up with his arms, but the pressure was too great. A short ways away, Takuya lay on his side, half-curled around the Ball, which had been smothered out. Riku managed to lift himself up on one arm, using the shield as a base, but could move no more than that. Kouji stayed on his feet as long as he could, dropping first to his knees and holding there until he couldn't fight it anymore.

"God…_dammit!_" he swore, and fell to his hands and knees. The Sager flickered a few times, but stayed stubbornly lit, humming with a sound like a wounded wolf.

The only creature who wasn't affected by the attack was Myotismon himself, who remained standing tall and arrogant even as the dark orb disappeared. He cracked his blood-red whip against the ground, leaving a deep gash only a few feet away from Kouji's hand. "That settles tha-"

"Not so fast!"

From the far corner of the hall where he had taken shelter just out of the spell's reach came Mickey. The distracted vampire barely had time to turn before the gleaming golden Key collided with the side of his ever-cool-and-collected head. Though he dug his steel-toed boots into the floor, it didn't stop Myotismon from being thrown across the room on the force of the blow.

A thick black liquid, the same consistency as blood but a hundred times darker, dripped from the corner of Myotismon's mouth to splash to the floor. He hissed, glaring at Mickey savagely. "You'll pay for that, rat!"

The whip burned and crackled as it snapped through the air, but the King was ready, leaping over it and diving straight into battle. Within seconds, the two had disappeared again into a whirling cloud of flashing light, gleaming red energy and furious blows.

Takuya uncurled from his position as best he could, rolling on top of the ball to use it as a support. "Jeeze…they're _fast_."

Sora grit his teeth and pushed up with his arms, managing, with great effort, to pry his shoulders from the floor. "We can't just….sit here…we have to do…something…"

A loud noise, like a hammer striking a forge's anvil, startled Sora enough for him to jerk straight up. Myotismon and the King broke away from one another with violent force, sliding to a stop on opposite sides of the hall. Mickey was breathing hard, his entire body vibrating with pent-up energy. A number of bats fluttered around his body wildly, cackling and shrieking until they dove back into the surrounding darkness and disappeared. Myotismon, on the other hand, wasn't even breathing hard, though his pale skin bore numerous bruises and cuts that oozed the same dark blood. The shadows that filled the dark chamber were swirling around him like living spirits, forming swirling storms around his arms that stirred up his cape dramatically.

The two glared at each other across the dark hall. Mickey's key sparkled and the red whip glowed softly in the gloom. The four teenagers just started, holding their breaths.

After a long while, Myotismon simply smirked. "Did you really think that the powers of pure darkness were going to lose to a mouse?"

Sora gaped slightly. "What…?"

"Mickey!"

Riku's shout was nearly covered up by the ring of Mickey's Keyblade clattering to the cold black floor. The King's energetic buzzing slowed gradually as the color drained out through his yellow shoes. Within moments, his bright colors had disappeared, and the remaining pale pastels were fading fast.

"Your Majesty!" Sora shouted. "No…!"

The King just grinned a simple, mellow sort of grin. "It ain't over yet, boys," he assured. "Not by a long shot. Because _they_ won't…let him…win…"

With those last words, the last of his color disappeared and he sank to the ground.

Riku shouted out in rage, forcing himself to his feet in spite of the high gravity left by the dark spell, and charged at Myotismon with all the speed he could muster. He looked and felt as though he were moving through a thick wall of molasses but that didn't stop him from forging onward.

Myotismon regarded the silver-haired warrior as though he was some kind of bug and summoned a small wave of darkness to swat him. Riku caught the darkness on the Shield, which blazed to life with a flash of white-hot reflected light. Unfortunately, he still couldn't move fast enough to counter the shadow's speed and only wound up holding the wall of darkness at bay as he struggled to move forward.

Sora pushed to his feet, stumbling a bit over the weight of his own feet, but managed to reach Riku's side. He struck at the darkness with his Keyblade, the defensive shadows swirling out in both directions to form a wall that blocked all of them from reaching Myotismon. Sora switched his grip on the Keyblade, leaning all of his weight against it to continually push the wall back. Before long, Kouji had joined in as well, the white-hot beam of the Sager searing deep into the solidified shadows before it lodged to a stop.

"Keep pushing, guys!" Takuya shouted from where he was supporting the unmoving King. "There's got to be a way through!"

"Humph," Myotismon sniffed with an air of disgust. "Pathetic."

He turned his back on them, regally crossing the last few steps it would take to reach the light-filled doorway at the end of the hall. The sentient darkness that wasn't being used to hold back his teenaged attackers swirled around him like an ethereal royal entourage. He reached out to the filter of darkness with both hands, his expression similar to that of a priest in the middle of a reverent ceremony.

"Cauldron of stars, from which the very hearts of the universe are born," he whispered, his purple eyes sparkling in what was left of the light. "Open your barriers and submit to my power!"

Red-gloved fingers dug deep into the veil of shadows, digging into it as though combing through wet sand exposed by high tide. As he spread his arms wide, the darkness tore open down the middle and split the light along with it. From beyond, something purer than even the barrier of light broke through. For a few eternally long minutes, the warriors struggling against the rising darkness caught a glimpse of the pure elemental power that lay beyond.

And then, Myotismon simply…stopped.

In the same instant, the Sager found a weakness in the wall of darkness, which gave way as soon as Kouji shifted his weight enough to slice through. A wide gash sliced through the darkness, ducking under Sora and Riku's weapons to split the wall completely in half.

Through it all, Myotismon remained frozen, the darkness that had been defending him just moments before turning back to twine around his every limb. The shadows twisted around him like enchanted rope, hardening to the strength of chains to yank his arms away from the veil and hold him in place. The vampire pulled at his bonds, but to no avail – they held fast and even seemed to tighten the more that he struggled.

"What… is this?!"

On the other side of the room, Takuya hoisted Mickey's small form into his arms and stared, boggle-eyed, at the bizarre sight before him. "What the hell did you guys _do_?!"

"_Kouji!_ _Riku-kun!"_

Kouji jerked at the words, which weren't so much sounds that he heard with his ears as much as a resonation in his heart. Riku looked up as well, just in time to see something…no, some_one_…gazing at them from the darkness.

For a split second, the darkness formed a face that they both recognized in an instant. Kouichi looked back at them, his eyes narrowed in concentration and determination.

"_We're not going to be able to hold him like this forever!"_ he called without making any true sound. "_You have to take him out now!"_

"Hey!" Sora interrupted, grabbing Riku's arm. The way that both of his friends had suddenly zoned out was worrying him more than even the darkness expanding into the depths of the cauldrons. "What's wrong with you guys? This is–"

"This is our chance!" Riku shouted, lunging. "Come on, Sora!"

The silver-haired warrior dashed forward, covering the thirty feet that separated him from his enemy in seconds. He slashed upwards with his sword, ripping away the dramatic red-and-black cape and leaving a gash across the exposed back. Kouji slipped under this blow and popped up with one of his own, using both hands to bring the Sager down. The white-hot beam of light burned through the remaining cloth in spite how thickly it was layered, even reaching the cold flesh underneath. The long cut that was left behind continued to glow even after Kouji leapt away, twisting across the clammy grey flesh until it had reformed into a large keyhole, just like the ones that had always led them to the Hearts of worlds.

Myotismon yelled in fury, twisting around in the grip of the twining darkness to strike Kouji with his blazing red whip.

"Watch it!" Riku warned, leaping in front of Kouji and catching the whip's blow with his Shield. The gleaming silver surface burst to life with a blaze of bloody red light, knocking the whip back with such ferocity that it struck Myotismon on the shoulder. The vampire shouted against in pain, especially as the darkness returned to pull him forcefully back into place.

Riku twisted around and shouted over Kouji's head. "Sora, do it _now!_"

"Uh…right!" Sora brought the Keyblade around. "Out of the way!"

The two swordsmen leapt in opposite directions, clearing a direct line between the Keyblade Master and his target. Sora only had to concentrate for a moment before the Keyblade responded to his will, firing a blast of white light directly into the center of the newly-conjured keyhole.

A resounding click, the sound of tumblers falling into place to open a lock, rang through the hallway. Myotismon jerked and coughed as though he were choking on his own tongue. Darkness blossomed from Myotismon's chest, almost concealing the seven mostly-solid blobs that escaped with it.

The half-solidified darkness was suddenly back to normal, releasing Myotismon and eliminating all of his defenses. The vampire Digimon shuddered for a moment, barely able to keep his balance, until he finally gave in to gravity's call and fell to the ground.

Finally, wonderfully, the room was finally quiet.

"…Woah," sighed Kouji, in a voice that indicated he didn't actually want to admit how much the scene had impressed him.

A wide grin crawled onto Sora's face. "We did it! We really…"

"_Guys!_" Takuya shouted in warning. "Look out!"

Kouji, Riku and Sora twisted around in the same motion. The dark veil that Myotismon had torn open was still splitting steadily down the middle, the long gash spreading up and down the length of the magical shroud all on its own. The light beyond was steadily being split apart as well, revealing steadily more and more of the dark, swirling elements that lay beyond it.

"Yes…!" Myotismon gasped, turning to the veil once more. "I'm here. It's here. It's mine!"

The vampire moved suddenly, lunging towards the tear with outstretched arms. Sora realized what he was doing at the last moment and shouted in warning, but it was too late. The elemental energies shining through the tear swirled around Myotismon, consuming the Digimon from head to toe and tearing him to shreds. In seconds, every last partial that had been Myotismon was completely absorbed by the elemental chaos.

Even Kouji winced. "What a way to go…"

Riku stifled the urge to sympathize with the destroyed Digimon, turning on his heel. "He deserved it, the bastard."

He took a step away from the scene, only to have the ground slide out from under his foot with a sudden shift. The entire castle trembled violently as though caught in an earthquake. Riku stumbled and very nearly fell, until Sora leapt up to steady his friend. "What _is_ this…?"

"Boys!" Mickey shouted, finally recovering from his spell. "We have to get out of here, now!"

"What's happening?" Sora asked as he and Riku were thrown to the side again.

"The barrier has been broken, and cauldron is drawing all of the elemental energies not attached to a Heart!" Mickey reported, retrieving his Keyblade. "The artificial area that Myotismon created is starting to break up! It'll fall apart any minute now!"

Kouji shoved off the wall that he'd been thrown against, stumbling forward across a floor that was becoming more and more slanted with each passing second. "We can't leave yet!" he insisted. "Not without Kouichi!"

"Are you crazy?!" Takuya demanded, pouncing on the Ball as it attempted to bounce away and rolling with the sudden shift of the angle. "The Hearts all broke free, remember? They've probably all gone home by now!"

"We don't know that for sure!" Riku insisted, stumbling away from Sora just long enough to stand on his own. "Something has to be holding this castle together, even if it's splitting away! If we don't find him…!"

He stopped short, barely three steps away from Sora, because something shimmering and purple had descended from the roof above him. Kouji's attention was drawn inexplicably to the same point as the shining, dark heart descended from crack in ceiling. It dropped slowly, as though passing through some thick liquid rather than thin air, eventually coming to rest almost directly between the two of them.

The air around the heart shimmered and bent around, almost like heat rising from a cooking stove. For a split second, it took on a familiar, though barely visible, shape – that of Kouichi, smiling warmly at the both of them.

Riku and Kouji reached out at the same time, their fingers barely brushing the illusion before it disappeared. It faded away to reveal the shimmering purple heart, resting safely in their palms, supported equally by them both.

Riku's fingers twitched slightly, but he barely managed to keep from wrapping them around the fragile structure, afraid that he would shatter it if he held on too tightly. Kouji seemed to be having the opposite problem, holding on so tightly that the slick surface nearly slipped out of his grasp. It was only then that they became aware of the other hand holding onto the Heart alongside their own, and the two exchanged an annoyed glare.

"Hey _guys!_" Takuya shouted, bringing them both back to the real world. The hall had already shrunk down to the size of a small bedroom, being steadily drawn through the tear in the veil as though it were a drain. Takuya, Sora and Mickey were all standing in the crumbling doorway, motioning to the remaining two boys wildly. "Hurry it up! You're going to get crushed if you don't watch it!"

"Get out of there!" Sora chimed in, his back pressed up against the fading doorframe. "Hurry!"

Riku and Kouji glanced at one another once more, sharing one last glare of mutual dislike before resolving, in the same instant, to ignoring their disgust in favor of mutual self-interest. They hoisted Kouichi's Heart more firmly into their grip and ran for it, dashing out the door and back into the safety of the Gummi Ship just seconds before the dark castle crumbled away into nothing but its most basic element.

_**TBC…**_


	31. Chapter 30: Return Redux

So…I forgot that normal people don't think about chapters the way that I do. When I said that this story was going to have 31 chapters, I meant that you're eventually going to see one of these pages with the title "Chapter 31." In addition to those 31 chapters, there is also a prologue and epilogue, bringing the final total of chapters, as far as 's drop-down menu is concerned, to 33. (Or 34. They might still be multiplying) I deeply apologize for this confusion. Now, on with the show.

Oh, P.S. – Boy's love in this chapter. Crossover pairings tend to confuse me, but, as readers of _Inside/Outside_ have no doubt realized, this one not only snuck up on me, but mugged me in the dark and ran off with all the restraint I could have mustered against it.

P.P.S. – Oh god, I apologize so much for how long this chapter took. There's really no excuse. I'm just a total scatterbrain and that's all there is to it.

(Once again, please ignore how long it has been since I've updated. I greatly apologize. Real life gets in the way.

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Nothing at all. _

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 30: Return Redux**

"They're back, they're back, they're back!"

Chip and Dale's excited squeaks echoed through the halls of Disney Castle long before the Gummi Ship had a chance to dock. When its hatch doors finally opened, a small crowd had gathered in the hanger, including Daisy, Queen Minnie, Pluto, Kairi, Taichi, Agumon and all the Shibuya residents but Junpei, who stayed behind to watch over Kouichi's body just in case

Kouji and Riku stepped off the ship with Kouichi's Heart still held between them. After five arguments and quite a bit of struggle, it had become apparent that only by working together could they keep hold of the radiant shape. Alone, it had slipped from Kouji's hands no matter how tightly he tried to hold on and become so heavy in Riku's grasp that he could hardly bear the weight. Sora, Mickey and Takuya were close behind, looking exhausted, but satisfied.

The newly-recaptured Heart was ushered into the back bedroom by a makeshift honor guard of brooms, ladies and elemental warriors. Junpei backed away as soon as the door opened, making way for Kouji and Riku to rush to the bedside.

Kouichi's body lay as still and unchanging as it had been when they left, breathing steady, expression blank. With barely a glance to one another, the two boys lay the Heart to rest on Kouichi's chest. The moment its incandescent form touched the familiar skin, it faded from their sight and disappeared back into its proper resting place.

A moment later, his eyes finally opened.

The gathered crowd gasped softly, drawing in so much air at once that it was almost surprising that the patient didn't pass out again. Kouichi blinked at them slowly, clearing his blurry vision, and gazed slowly around the room to get his bearings. The tension hovering around him was so thick it was almost suffocating.

Finally, Kouji couldn't take it anymore. "Nii-san?"

Kouichi looked him straight in the eye. For a moment he just lay there, staring up at his brother as though he didn't recognize him. Then, without warning, he sat straight up and threw his arms around Kouji's neck. The younger twin lost his balance in surprise and nearly tumbled onto the bed beside him.

The tension in the room dissolved in laughter. With a whoop, Takuya dove into the twin's hug and wrapped his arms around them both. "Hell _yeah_, guys! The gang's finally back together! I mean – you _are_ back in one piece, right Kouichi?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine!" Kouichi sputtered from under his arm. "But Takuya, you're strangling me!"

Junpei stopped laughing just long enough to haul Takuya off the twins, clearing the way for Izumi and Tomoki to attack somewhat less violently. Soon enough, Sora decided that they were having far too much fun without him and joined in on the pile, dragging Riku and a giggling Kairi into the mix. Pluto began barking and bounding around the bed, adding to the excited energy with every wag of his tail.

"All right, all right, that's enough!" Daisy chimed in, suppressing her laughter as she clapped her wings to get the teenagers' attention. "Please, everyone, break it up! Let the poor boy get his head on straight!"

Sheepishly, the teenagers pulled away from their group glomp one by one, until finally, the only ones left on the bed were Kouichi – who looked slightly ruffled, but healthy and satisfied – and Kouji, who remained dutiful by his brother's side. He still seemed nervous, but, given the circumstances, no one could really blame him.

King Mickey stepped up to the bed, patting Kouichi on the arm with a fatherly grin before he addressed the group. "Now then, I know you kids are all tired – some of you more than others – but there's one more thing that needs to be taken care of before we can hit the hay."

"Oh, _god_," Sora groaned. "Please, Your Majesty, can't it wait…?"

"Certainly not," Mickey grinned wider. "There's an awful lot of food downstairs, and if we let it all go bad, the brooms'll get so mad they won't make us breakfast in the morning!"

At the very mention of food, a number of stomachs growled. Junpei laughed awkwardly, clapping his hands to his own stomach and ignoring the sparks that leapt from his gauntlets at the motion. "I think I second that motion, Your Majesty. Let's get some grub!"

"Just follow me, please," Daisy said with a smile, and lead the way to grand dining room.

Everyone made the move to follow, but just before he could leave, Kouichi caught his brother by the sleeve. "Ne, Kouji?"

Kouji stopped, turning back. "What is it?"

Kouichi smiled softly and let go of his brother's sleeve. He pulled something out of his pocket, concealed in the palm of his hand, and pressed it into Kouji's grasp. "This is yours."

It was small, flat and hard. When Kouji turned it over, the thin metal clasp fell open without a fight. Behind the smooth glass of the miniature picture frame slept two peaceful, happy, identical baby boys.

"I found it," Kouichi explained, reading the marveling, baffled expression on his brother's face. "I put it away before Xantha, well, you know…I guess he never thought about looking for it. And…And I know you wouldn't just lose, so he must have…"

"Stolen it," Kouji spat, clutching the treasure close. "Bastard. He was screwing with us this whole time."

"But not anymore, right?"

Kouji smiled a bit at that. "Yeah. It's all over now."

Kouichi smiled, and the addictive expression spread to Kouji's face without a fight. With a laugh, the older twin grabbed his brother by the arm and began pulling him down the hall. "C'mon, let's go get that food! I'm _starving_."

**( - )**

'An awful lot of food,' as it turned out, was an understatement on the part of the King. What was waiting for them downstairs was a _feast_.

Dozens of hard-working brooms had lain the long, elegant dining table with hundreds of platters, baring every kind of delicious food imaginable. Roast meats and poultry cut a line down the center of the table, filled in with sides ranging from mashed potatoes to fresh rolls to corn on the cob. A number of guests, friends from the kingdom surrounding the castle, had arrived to assist in the preparations and were waiting with smiles on their faces.

Seized by a collective ravenous hunger, the teens dug in heartily. The food was no match for their adrenaline-fueled appetites, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared, but it was soon replaced by a second course, danced in by the brooms, some moving tea-trays and a rather lonely looking mop. Music was being played from somewhere, and one would almost swear the dancing cleaning supplies were singing, even though they had neither mouth nor vocal cords.

Agumon looked like he was trying very hard not to drool over the dancing food. Seated beside him, Taichi laughed. "Man, you folks sure know how to throw a party!"

"Naturally," Queen Minnie said with a giggle. "We have so much to celebrate! Please, everyone, enjoy!"

"It's all delicious," Izumi sighed happily, swallowing a mouthful of pasta. "I haven't eat like this since…since…"

"Since Shibuya disappeared."

Five of the six displaced teens stopped eating at Tomoki's soft words, struck dumb by the realization. Kouichi looked blankly between them, setting his spoon into his dish. "'Disappeared'? You mean…"

"Yeah," Kouji muttered, "the Heartless got it."

"I'd almost forgotten," Takuya said, shaking his head. "Stupid. That's what started this whole mess in the first place, isn't it?"

Their gloomy faces and conversation finally got the attention of the other guests, who paused their meal as well. Sora ventured into the conversation first, with cautious optimism. "Hey, guys, it's not so bad. We won, and you're all together again. That's what you wanted, yeah?"

"But what's the point?" Junpei asked rhetorically, shoving back against his chair with a groan. "We got nowhere to go from here. We don't even have a _home_ anymore!"

"Neither did we," Riku pointed out, jabbing a fork at the punch to accentuate his point. "Destiny Islands gotten eat up just like your world did, but we got it back good as new. Same with all those other worlds the Heartless got their hands on last time."

"Yeah!" Sora said, perking up. "And we'll do the same for Shibuya, no problem!"

"Sora's right, we'll find a way," Kairi nodded in agreement and patted Izumi's arm. "And until we do, you're all welcome to come stay on the Islands with us."

"Or here, if you like," added Daisy with a smile.

Izumi smiled, brushing a piece of hair away from her face to see Kairi more clearly. "Thanks, really. But you guys don't have to worry about us. We're just homesick. We'll get through it."

"We always do," Kouji said with a shrug, and Kouichi nodded.

"Well, it could definitely be worse," Takuya said, sipping from his goblet, which he discovered was full of grape juice. "At least Myotismon's gone for good, right?"

Taichi frowned at that, exchanging an uncertain glance with Agumon.

"Yeah!" Sora laughed, taking a swig of his own drink. "We whooped his tail something awesome! There's no way he could bounce back from something like that!"

Riku rolled his eyes. "_We_ didn't exactly do much, Sora. The guy kinda killed himself. He got cocky."

"Still!"

"Hey, dead is dead," Takuya laughed, digging into his meal once more. "Who cares how we got rid of him, as long as the damn bloodsucker's dead? Nice to know we're never gonna see _him_ again."

"Now hold on a second, guys…"

King Mickey nudged Taichi in the side, cutting him off before he could get the others' attention. The eldest of the gathered DigiDestined scowled, but got the message with one glance from the mouse and fell silent. He remained that way as Takuya and Sora (with some minor input from Kouji and Riku) recounted down to the minute every bit of the battle. When they got to the part about the Hearts he had consumed rebelling against him, they turned to Kouichi for an explanation, but the Warrior of Darkness said he didn't remember a thing.

"One thing's for sure, though," Takuya said, leaning back in his chair as the brooms danced in to take away their dirty plates and bring desert. "We never would've made it out of there if you hadn't done…whatever you did. It was a total team effort."

"Only one thing to do, then!" Junpei laughed, slinging his glass into the air so quickly that a few drops of dark purple grape juice spilled over the edge. "A toast! To friendship!"

"To friendship!" Sora echoed heartily, swinging up his own drink, and the others weren't far behind. _"_And new beginnings for all! Cheers!"

"_Cheers!"_

**( - )**

Three toasts, two waltzes and an impressive fireworks display later, King Mickey excused himself from the festivities and quietly slipped away. The crowd paid him very little mind, which was only to be expected given the elaborate distractions he had arranged, but Minnie met his eye on his way out the door with a worried expression. Mickey gave her a wink and blew a quick kiss, to reassure his Queen that all away well, just before he disappeared.

As he bustled down the hall, he slowly lost the spring that the happy occasion had put into his step, reverting to something graver and more efficient. Soon enough, he arrived at the door to his personal study, which was locked as usual. He opened it with the silver key and locked it again behind him, assuring total privacy.

It felt a bit odd to be alone after so much time with his family and friends, but he the last thing he wanted was to worry everyone with potentially useless concerns. He would rejoin them as soon as he had put his heart at ease. He might even make it back in time for desert.

With that happy thought, he gathered up an armful of vials from the shelf and stepped up to the old silver cauldron in the middle of the room. It had tarnished slightly in his absence, and he made the mental note to clean it properly as he began pouring potion after potion into its empty basin.

The ingredients mixed as soon as they made contact in a flurry of catalysts and chemical reactions. Some melted, some bubbled, some hissed, some sank, but they all blended together in their own ways. Mickey hopped down from his stool just long enough to light a fire under it all, then hopped back up to stir the mixture into a smooth, homogenous whole.

The colors and textures swirled together under his guiding hand until they formed silvery, iridescent potion that looked like liquid mother-of-pearl. Mickey put the stirring rod away and sprinkled the surface with a handful of white powder from inside an old, well-used bag. It was made of blue felt embroidered with white stars.

The smooth surface of the potion glimmered and gleamed like a mirror fresh from the glassworks. The white haze left behind by the powder began to shift slightly, moving like stars drawn across the sky by the hand of a god. When they finally found their place, the face of an old man with a long white beard and a solemn expression gazed out of the cauldron. His eyes roamed around the study for a moment until they finally met with the King's.

"Mickey," he said gravely, "this pot of yours is filthy."

"Sorry, Master," Mickey said with a grin, not sounding sorry at all. "I'll get it shined up real good as soon as we're done here."

"Really," sighed Master Yen Sid. "I thought I taught you better than that, but you always were in such a rush."

Mickey chuckled a bit at his master's reminiscence, thinking back to his days as the great teacher's young and erstwhile apprentice. Master Yen Sid coughed slightly to get his attention. "As nice as catching up on old times may be, I assume that's not the reason you've gone to the trouble of contacting me this way."

"Uh, yeah, well, that's right," Mickey said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly with his hand. His expression became more serious as he leaned over the edge of the cauldron, bracing his hands on the curled rim. "To tell the truth, Master, I'm worried about the state of the Worlds."

"You always have been. It's been your greatest preoccupation for decades now."

Mickey nodded distractedly. "But this time it could be big. I mean, really big. What Myotismon was trying to do…"

"I know," Yen Sid interrupted, stern words laced with a power not unlike a magic spell, but lacking in the necessary potency. It was the tone of guidance, the old master's attempt to pass on whatever bit of his power that he could, even if it was only subconscious. "I feel it, too. The aftermath that fool's meddling continues to reverberate through the fabric of the worlds. Even I cannot yet predict what will come of this."

"Well then," Mickey rolled up his sleeves. "We better start looking together."

**( - )**

"What's the matter? Didn't like the party?"

Kouichi pulled his eyes away from the open library window and smiled at Riku warmly. "Oh, no, it was fine. I just needed some time to think, that's all."

Riku returned the smile, coming to a stop beside his friend and turning his eyes to the beautiful starlit sky. It seemed like so long since he had seen stars, real tiny points of light in the vast darkness of space, that it almost seemed unreal. "Nice view, huh?"

"I think so," Kouichi agreed. He placed his hands on the windowsill and leaned his whole weight against his arms, craning out over the edge to see as much of the sky as the castle would allow. Far below, a hedge maze wound its way through the courtyard, its magical lanterns twinkling in the shadows as though to mimic the stars above. "It's so pretty here, don't you think? It makes you understand why Mickey-sama and everyone else is so kind and friendly. Everything in this world is really beautiful."

"Yeah. Beautiful."

Riku's voice had an odd, almost hesitant tone. Kouichi wanted to ask what was wrong, but he barely had time to pull away from the window and turn his head before a pair of arms stopped him in his tracks.

Riku had come up from behind, wrapped his arms around Kouichi's waist and pulled the smaller boy against his chest. His hands fisted into Kouichi's clothes possessively, clutching at him as though he would disappear at the slightest provocation.

Kouichi winced a bit. The Shield was digging into his side. "Riku-kun, what…?"

"Don't," Riku muttered, his breath warm on the crown of Kouichi's skull. "I'm sorry, but please. Just don't talk for a second."

"…Okay."

Kouichi rested his hands on Riku's arms, shifting them just enough to get comfortable in the taller boy's grip. When he breathed in through his mouth, he could taste Riku's darkness, rich and earthy with just a hint of cinnamon. Riku rested his chin on the top of the smaller teen's head, breathing in the scent of pure darkness and citrus.

"I just needed to know you were really here," whispered the silver-haired warrior. "I thought we'd lost you. I thought _I'd_ lost you. I thought we'd never get you back, that you'd never open your eyes again. That we wouldn't be able to get you back."

Kouichi squeezed the wrists below his hands. "But you _did_."

"I know that," Riku tightened his grip. "But I was scared."

"I understand."

"I'm…I'm glad you're back."

"I could say the same to you."

"…You're really important to me, you know."

"I know."

They remained that way for a little while longer, until Kouichi finally shifted out of Riku's grasp. He turned so that they were face-to-face and smiled. "We better go back soon. Sora and Kairi-san are bound to be looking for you."

"Uh, yeah…your friends, too."

Kouichi's smile widened a bit and he dipped his head to the side coquettishly, which made something catch in Riku's throat. As he headed for the door, Riku twisted after him and grabbed him by the hand.

"Kouichi, I –" Riku cut himself off when he realized what he had done, nearly swallowing his own tongue in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Kouichi assured, squeezing his hand. "And don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

The smile still firmly in place, he pulled Riku down and kissed him. It was quick, sweet and just teasing enough that Riku didn't quite understand what had happened until it was over. Once he finally caught on, he wrapped his hand around the back of Kouichi's neck and pulled him in for another, this one longer, deeper and more intense. The smaller Warrior of Darkness made a pleased noise in the back of his throat and looped his arms around Riku's neck to pull them closer.

Kouji chose that moment to walk in the door.

He saddled through the door with the cool ease of someone who had just beaten his best friend in an arm-wrestling match. His mouth was open to say something to his brother about not eating enough or going to bed too early, but the words died on his lips. Once his brain had properly processed the sight in front of him, he turned white, then red and then an interesting shade of purple, eyes narrowing sharply with rage.

He grabbed Riku by the collar, wrenched him away from Kouichi violently and punched him in the face. "What the hell, you sick son of a bitch? Get your hands off my brother!"

"Kouji!" Kouichi exclaimed, grabbing his brother's arm as it drew back for another strike. "Kouji, stop it, it's not what you think!"

"No, it's exactly what he thinks," Riku retorted, seizing the wrist of the arm that was holding onto his collar, relieving just enough pressure so he could speak. "Or are you saying that you didn't want that just as much as I did?"

Kouichi hesitated, his grip on his brother's arm faltering a bit. "Of course I did. But…"

"Bullshit," Kouji snapped, yanking on Riku's clothes. "You were taking advantage of him!"

"Kouji, _I _kissed_ him!_"

Kouji's eyes swiveled around, glaring at his brother with a hint of betrayal. Kouichi gave him an apologetic little shrug, still holding onto his arm with both hands.

"I knew it. He's not even surprised," Riku said simply. He spat out a bit of blood from his busted bottom lip and looked Kouji dead in the eye. "You knew it the whole time. You never thought I was hurting him, you're just trying to make excuses. You're just pissed off about the idea that he might actually care about somebody besides you."

With an angry shout, Kouji shook Kouichi off and tackled Riku to the ground. They rolled across the hardwood floor, a tangled mess of sharp elbows and blows and insults that echoed through the entire wing of the castle and brought most of the servants running.

At first, all Kouichi could do was stand on the sidelines shouting for them both to cut it out, but once they'd knocked over a bookcase and a small crowd had gathered in the door of the library, he decided to take a more proactive stance. Snatching the Staff from where he'd left it on the floor, he aimed for the space between them in the split moment they broke apart and shouted, _"Firaga!"_

The cold, blue-white fireball shot from his weapon and between the two combatants, both of whom stopped in mid-attack to avoid being hit. Kouichi took his chance to slide between them in the spell's wake, pressing a hand against each of their shoulders to hold them apart. "That's enough, both of you!"

"Indeed."

It was Queen Minnie's voice – perhaps laced with a bit of her magic, perhaps just a natural talent of her own – that finally brought an uneasy calm to the room. The doorway where she stood was crowded with Elemental Warriors, servants and cleaning staff, all staring at the destruction that had been left in the wake of their bizarre brawl. The bookcase they had knocked over had caught on the top of the windowsill across the room, its contents spilled across the floor, a desk and a chair that had been all but destroyed. Riku's lip was bleeding heavily, dripping into his hand, and Kouji was already developing a rather impressive shiner on his left eye.

The Queen cleared her throat. "Would one of you like to explain what happened here?"

"No," Kouji snapped, and spat a dollop of pink-tinged saliva.

Queen Minnie raised an eyebrow, exchanged a glance with Daisy and looked to Riku. The warrior of steel didn't look much more willing to talk, cupping a hand under his bleeding lip as he was. Dale scurried in from the first aid station with a thick pad of gauze, ran up Riku's leg and presented it to him, pressing it into the flow of blood when it wasn't immediately accepted.

Finally, the Queen looked to Kouichi. For someone who hadn't actually been involved in the fight, he looked more ashamed than either of the combatants, clutching his Staff with both hands and avoiding Her Highness's gaze. He looked up when he felt her eyes on him and shrugged. "I…I'm sorry, Your Highness. About the damage. I-I'll get it cleaned up as soon as – "

"That won't be necessary," the Queen sighed, and clapped her hands. The gathered brooms immediately set to work, righting the bookshelf, sweeping up the debris and scrubbing the entire room as quickly as their magical heritage would allow.

Queen Minnie stepped a little further into the room, looked between the two young men, and sighed. "I suppose it's a bit unreasonable to expect everyone to get along all the time, but please, don't let this happen again. All right?"

Riku took the gauze from Dale, pressed it against his lip, and mumbled, "Yes, Your Highness." He met Kouichi's eye and smiled just a little to reassure the concerned warrior of darkness.

Kouji bristled again. He grabbed Kouichi by the arm, bit out a quick apology to the Queen, and stormed from the room, dragging his brother with him. Kouichi hesitated, gazing back at Riku for a few steps before finally turned and allowed himself to be led away.

Riku groaned, lowered Dale to the ground, and shuffled into the hall. He didn't so much as pause when Sora touched his arm, just turned the corner at the end of the hall and disappeared into his room.

Once he was gone, Junpei finally turned to the rest of the Warriors, who had gathered in the fall-out of the altercation, and asked the obvious question: "What the hell was _that_ about?"

**( - )**

When Sora came into Riku's room, the silver-haired warrior was hunched over in an armchair, holding the wad of gauze to his bleeding lip and cursing Kouji repeatedly under his breath. The Keyblade Master let the door swing closed behind him, put his hands on his hips, and faced his friend with an uncertain scowl. "Riku, what the hell happened in there?"

Riku glared at him, pulling the wad of red-soaked cloth away from his mouth. He didn't look angry, really, it was more like…embarrassment. "Nothing."

"Right. You got your lip split open over nothing?"

Riku's scowl deepened. Sora rubbed a hand along the back of his head, the familiar spark of static electricity coming away with his glove as the spikes leapt back into place. "I mean, c'mon! I know you and Kouji have been kinda butting heads, but a fist fight? Now? I thought you both had better control than that!"

"Hey, I didn't do anything!" Riku protested, chucking the gauze into the trash bin. "Minamoto's the one who started it! He just barged in on me and Kouichi and started throwing a fit! Everything would've been just fine if he'd just learn to knock!"

Sora blinked a few times, cocking his head to one side. "Barged in on you and Kouichi…doing _what_?"

Riku flushed, his cheeks turning apple-red, and averted his eyes. "Um…uh, that is, we…uh…"

"Oh, they were just making out in the library."

Riku jumped a foot and twisted around, his face as red as a stop sign. "Kairi! How the…what the…how the _hell_ do you know that?"

"Actually, it was a joke," the red-haired girl raised an eyebrow, pushing the door behind her until it finally clicked shut. "But at least it got an answer out of you. You guys were really making out?"

Riku leaned back in his chair with a groan, his hair spreading across the pillow behind him. "Just shoot me now, please."

Kairi grinned at his embarrassment, as though she was back in the school halls gossiping with her girlfriends. Sora, on the other hand, still seemed to be having trouble putting all the information together. "Wait, wait, wait. Kairi, when you said 'making out,' did you mean, like…"

"Like kissing," Riku moaned, hiding his face (which was turning redder and redder with each passing moment) in his hands. "Yes, Sora, that's exactly what she meant, 'like kissing.' I was kissing Kouichi in the library when Kouji walked in. Can we _please _stop talking about this now?"

Kairi burst into a fit of giggles, covering her mouth with both hands in a fairly insincere attempt at stopping them. She was clearly tickled pink over the whole situation. Sora, meanwhile, looked more than a little shell shocked, and was just staring at Riku with an unreadable expression. Riku kept his face covered, praying ruefully to a god he didn't believe in that this was all just some horrible dream and he'd wake up as soon as the humiliation was complete.

"Wow," said Sora finally, with a touch of wonder. "I didn't know you were gay."

Riku laughed, tension bursting out of his body like a soap bubble. "Neither did I, Sora. Neither did I."

"Well, _I_ think it's sweet," Kairi giggled again and clapped her hands together with a wistful sigh. "Kouichi's a real sweetheart, Riku, I think he'll be good for you. And you two make such an adorable couple!"

Riku's blush spread up to his hairline. Sora had never seen Riku blush before, let alone this badly, and it made him wonder if it would eventually bleed into his hair until it turned as red as Kairi's. The mental image brought a grin to his face.

Kairi perched on the armrest of Riku's chair, leaning over to play with his hair a bit as she continued to tease him good-naturedly. "So, what are you two going to do now? Long-distance relationships can be pretty tricky, you know. Maybe we should look into taking them back to the Islands with us after all."

"Stop that," Riku muttered with a frown. He puckered his lips and blew at her fingers in annoyance, as though he could brush the touch away like a fly. "I don't know _what_ happens now. Probably nothing."

"Nothing?" Sora echoed incredulously. "Why?"

"Because of your friend," Riku scowled deeper. "That brat. Knowing him, he won't _let_ it go any further than this. Prick."

Sora and Kairi exchanged a Look. The Keyblade Master plopped down onto the soft carpet, sitting cross-legged in front of Riku's chair. "Oh, c'mon, Riku. Kouji's more reasonable than that."

"No he's not," said Riku and Kairi at the same time.

"…Okay, yeah, he's not. Not when he's mad," Sora admitted. He leaned back on his arms and blew a bit of hair away from his eye. "But still, Kouichi's a pretty sensible guy. I'm sure he can talk Kouji down. I mean, they're brothers, right?"

Riku sighed in a way that seemed uncharacteristically wistful. Sora and Kairi exchanged another Look. "I hope you're, Sora," the dark fighter muttered. "I really hope you're right…"

**( - )**

"Kouji, _slow down!_"

With those words, Kouichi dug his heels into the ground, leaving two small trails in the grass as Kouji continued to pull him along. Finally, the younger twin gave into the extra force and stopped his furious storming. They found themselves in the center of the lovely hedge-garden that decorated the palace courtyard, brother facing brother in what was already a tense and very awkward stand-off.

"Why?" Kouji snapped, in a tone that would have left others trembling.

Kouichi, however, was used to his brother's moods, so he just crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "Why what?"

"Why did you let him _kiss_ you?"

"I already told you, _I _kissed _him_."

Kouji looked about ready to punch something. Again. _"Why?"_

Kouichi turned red. "I would assume it's obvious, Kouji."

The younger stared at his twin in disbelief, as though he were unable to comprehend the words. Kouichi just stood in silence, avoiding his brother's eye, letting Kouji work the logic through to its inevitable conclusion.

"I can't believe it," he finally declared. "You and…that jerk…"

"I happen to care about 'that jerk' very much, thank you," Kouichi responded. He leaned close until their noses almost touched, offering a small smile. "Just like I care about _this_ jerk right here."

It was Kouji's turn to blush and avoid his brother's eye. He took a step back and cleared his throat, trying and failing to regain a little composure before he spoke. "J-Just what is that supposed to mean, anyway?"

"Kouji…"

Kouichi grabbed his brother's wrists and tugged him back around to face him. He smiled warmly, running his thumbs across Kouji's knuckles. "Really, Kouji," he said softly. "You think I don't know what's actually bothering you? I can read you better than anyone."

The blush on Kouji's cheeks darkened considerably, but Kouichi wouldn't let him look away. He tugged his younger brother closer and pressed their foreheads together, pushing deeper into Kouji's personal space than anyone else would have dared.

"You _do_ know I love you, right? You're my brother," he said, soothing and affectionate. "Nothing could ever change that, no matter how much we branch out. You know it. I know it. It's too special to just break."

"Maybe I don't want to take that chance just yet." Kouji twisted his hands around to grip his brother's wrists tightly. "I just got you back. I'm not going to stand by and let that…let _him_ take you away again."

"I'm not going anywhere," Kouichi soothed. "That's a promise, Kouji. There isn't anything in _any_ world that could split us up again. "

Kouji lifted an eyebrow. "Not even _him_?"

"Riku?" Kouichi chuckled. "Well, it's not like he's going to try."

"Want to bet?"

"Always so territorial." Kouichi clicked his tongue and sat down on a stone bench. After a bit of persistent tugging, Kouji joined him.

They sat there a moment in silence, listening to the bustle and buzz of the castle. Certain someones, who sounded suspiciously like Junpei and Izumi, were doing a fairly poor job of hiding in the nearby bushes, especially because they were taking turns shushing each other. But the brothers, as if one mind, decided to let their stalkers be for a time. It wasn't like anything scandalous was going on, after all.

"You know," Kouji finally sighed, gripping his brother's hand. "I was really…really worried about you."

"Is there ever a time when you haven't been?"

"I mean it," Kouji insisted, tightening his hold. "This whole time, people have been playing with my mind…messing up the way I see things, distorting everything, and they always used you. Your face, your voice, they just picked it out. Even Xantha, that bastard…"

He was shaking a bit now. Kouichi placed his other hand over the one that gripped him, and it was almost immediately seized as well. "I was starting to think it was hopeless. I thought…I thought I'd never see you again. Not ever. That you would go away and stop existing, and all because I couldn't…I couldn't…"

"Kouji," Kouichi interrupted. "Stop."

The younger twin stopped, but only because his brother had pressed two fingers over his lips to silence him. Kouichi leaned close, his expression calm and affectionate. "You don't have to be afraid. I'm here now, and you're here. We're together again. And that's all that matters."

Kouji sighed and squeezed his brother's hand. He closed his eyes and took a few long, deep breaths. When he opened them again, Kouichi was still there. "Yeah. You're right, of course."

"Naturally," Kouichi said with a grin. "Now, are you going to stop picking fights with the people I try to date?"

"People in general, yes. Him, I make no promises."

"You're impossible," Kouichi said, and they laughed.

High above them, the bright stars that watched over Disney Castle – and Destiny Islands, and Shibuya, wherever it was now, and all the rest of the worlds – winked and twinkled happily in the dark night sky. They – the stars, that is – might have known that this was just the final calm before the storm, but they did not betray that knowledge to the children they watched over. The worlds, they decided, deserved a night of peace after everything they had been through.

It would buffer and protect them from what was to come.

**( - )**

The next morning, Riku was the first one up. He arrived in the dining room long before the servants even had a chance to bring in breakfast, chose a seat for himself, and just sat there, staring gloomily over the empty table settings. Kairi and Izumi found him there twenty minutes later, elbows propped against the tabletop to support his head, glaring at his own reflection sullenly. The girls decided, wisely, to leave him be.

He hadn't seen Kouichi since the night before. Likely as not, the younger warrior didn't want to see him, and Riku, honestly, couldn't blame him. He'd acted like an idiot last night. A stubborn, stupid idiot, possessive and violent over something – some_one_ – that wasn't even his to be protective over. Even if Kouichi didn't side with his brother over the issue (which he probably would, it was his _twin_ for gods' sakes), he was probably pretty mad about being treated like some prize to be won through sheer bravado. Riku should count himself lucky if his friend ever wanted to look at him again, let alone talk to him.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Riku glanced up. Taichi, Takuya and Tomoki had drifted in as well, along with several of the brooms. The eldest DigiDestined and his partner had taken up residence in a comfortable chair on the opposite side from Riku, Tomoki was on the floor, playing tug-of-war with Pluto; Takuya was chatting up the girls at the far end of the table, and the servants were busy fetching silver-plated platters of meat, eggs and biscuits from the kitchen. But there was no sign of the twins.

Which was why he jumped a foot when he heard, "Good morning, Riku-kun!"

The bright voice was accompanied by a thin pair of arms that wrapped around Riku's shoulders from behind and closely followed by a kiss to the temple. Riku nearly fell out of his chair in shock, only barely catching himself on the edge of the table. "K-Kouichi?!"

Kouichi laughed, hoisting his older partner back into his chair. "You should be more careful, Riku-kun, you could've hurt yourself."

With a smile on his face, he plopped into the seat beside Riku, never letting go of the silver-haired warrior's hand. Across the table, Kairi giggled behind her hand and Izumi tugged at Takuya's arm to keep him from disturbing the – quote – 'adorable scene.'

Riku, meanwhile, was more than a little unsettled because of this, staring at their joined hands. When he finally pulled his eyes from them, he met Kouichi's gaze. "I don't…Why would you…I thought…"

"Are you always so eloquent?" Kouichi asked, and laughed, covering his mouth with his other hand the same way that Kairi did.

The thought made Riku hold on all the tighter. "But, why?"

"You know why," Kouichi said, glancing up through his bangs shyly. "I like you, Riku-kun. I _really_ like you."

Despite himself, Riku smiled. He wanted to embrace the younger boy, pull him into his arms and never let him go, but uncertainty – and the weight of everyone else's eyes on them – made him hold back. "What about your brother?"

"Kouji's fine. We talked it out last night." Kouichi smiled, bringing his other hand around to hold onto Riku's alongside its partner.

"But, you know, we don't have to rush into things if you don't want to," Kouichi said, rubbing Riku's hand between his gently. "We can just take it all one step at a time."

Riku finally smiled at that, tugging on of Kouichi's hands free from the clasp and bringing the knuckles up against his lips sweetly. "That," he said, "sounds perfect to me."

Kairi and Izumi both said, "Aw~!" and Taichi chuckled.

"This is gonna be a weird morning, isn't it?" Junpei asked from the door, scratching his head in bewilderment. Kouichi and Riku, as though suddenly aware of their audience, broke apart and settled in their own chairs. Their hands, however, remained joined. The girls giggled. Takuya looked as though most of his perception of reality had been thrown off-kilter. Tomoki feigned innocence. Taichi just chuckled again.

"Well, at least no one's fighting with each other," Sora put in, pushing past Junpei with a yawn. He wandered to the table as though nothing had happened and plopped down beside Kairi.

Ten minutes later, Kouji appeared, remarkably late for him and with the smell of a morning workout clinging to his skin. He met his brother's eye and raised an eyebrow. Kouichi grinned and squeezed Riku's hand. Kouji rolled his eyes at that and plopped into the chair on his brother's other side, reaching for the first bowl of rice he could get his hands on.

However, just as they were about to start on their breakfast, the wide double doors burst open and King Mickey leapt into the room. His eyes had the tired, slightly wild look of someone who has worked throughout the entire night, and a faded blue cap embodied with white stars sagged over one of his ears.

"Everyone," he announced, "I'm afraid we have a problem."

_**TBC…**_


	32. Chapter 31: The Heart of Creation

I said that I would finish this chapter by the end of October, so I could focus on my NaNoWriMo without regret. And I have. Huzzah!

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own anything to do with Digimon or Kingdom Hearts. Nothing at all. _

**Kingdom of the Elemental Hearts**

**Chapter 31: The Heart of Creation**

The shadowy vortex clung to the gleaming wall like a tumor, eating away at the light like acid through paper. Every few moments, a blast of energy – bursts of wind and lightning, fountains of fire and ice, geysers of earth and steel – bubbled from the belching, moaning depths of the vortex.

"What the hell _is_ that?" Junpei asked, reeling back and covering his nose with his arm.

Mickey glanced up at the magical display that hovered in the middle of his study, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "It's the Cauldron, the way it looks right now."

"No _way_," Sora said, gaping at the display. "There's just no way! That's –"

"It's a mess, I know," Mickey sighed. "It's all because of Myotismon. He's the one who's causing this."

Taichi slammed his fist into the opposite hand. "I knew it! That son of a bitch never gives up!"

"What's he doing?" Kairi asked, clutching her hands over the Pendant as she peered up at the wall. "And why?"

"That's easy," said Taichi, "Myotismon only ever wants one thing: Power, power and more power."

Mickey nodded in distracted agreement, his eyes trailing across the wall of light. "He's been burrowing into the heart of the Cauldron this whole time. Somehow, he managed to keep himself together, even in the midst of the elemental chaos. Now he's eating his way into the cauldron's heart."

"Like a worm in an apple?" Tomoki ventured. Junpei gulped and discarded the aforementioned half-eaten green fruit.

"Exactly. Watch this."

Mickey stepped back, dimming the lights with a wave of his hand. The tension was so thick that all speech was smothered. Kouji shuddered in the harsh silence, clutching the Licht Sager's handle with both hands. Goofy clapped his hands over his muzzle, muffling a quiet 'hyuck' before it could bubble out.

A bubble burst from the wall of light, which pulsed with energy. It radiated out in all directions, so bright an tactile that even Mickey's magical illusion was enough to send a shudder down their collective spines. The energy dispersed within a few seconds, leaving them in silence again. Kouichi was the first to speak, swallowing despite his dry throat. "What was that?"

"Myotismon has corrupted the core of the Cauldron," Mickey said, his tone grave. It's become unstable. If something doesn't stop him soon, the Cauldron could break apart completely."

He let the gravity of losing the source of all creation sink in for a moment. It settled into the group's stomach s like mouthfuls of gravel.

"We have to stop him," Tomoki said, serious and steady.

"Hell yeah," said Riku.

"He won't go down easy," Taichi warned. "Especially with all that extra power."

Kouji snorted. "They never do."

"Which is why we have to try," King Mickey said and clapped his hands together. The display of the Cauldron disappeared with a flash, and the light came back up in an instant. "By the Cauldron's very nature, it'll be a dangerous trip, but our group will have the best chance."

Izumi cocked her head to the side. "Because of these?" she asked, indicating the Ring.

"Indirectly, yes," Mickey said. "Remember, the Cauldron is the source of all raw elements. Anything that enters will be broken down into those elements, even people – even Hearts. But the Hearts chosen by those weapons are made of almost nothing a single element and pure willpower. That power should be enough to keep you stable until you reach where Myotismon is hiding – and Sora, your Keyblade will protect you just as well.

"Still, the less people we put in danger, the better…"

"Then we'll only take one ship," Sora decided, his young voice brimming with authority. "Four people, and I'm going."

"Same here," Kouichi said seriously, fingering the smooth swirls that adorned the Sager's handle. "I want to finish this."

Kouichi, who had been hovering quietly in the heart of the group, grabbed Kouji's sleeve. "Me too."

"Nii-san…"

"I want to go," Kouichi insisted, and the Staff vibrated in his hand. "I want to stay with you, Kouji."

Kouji hesitated, but couldn't think of any excuse. Sora sighed and smiled.

Three people away, Riku's expression grew more serious than ever. "Then I'm going too."

"I don't think that would be wise, Riku," Mickey warned. "Your heart's still wrapped in the darkness, split between two elements. It would be more dangerous for you."

"I'm going," Riku said firmly. "I'm not going to stay behind while my best friend and my…" he gazed at Kouichi uncertainly a moment, then shook himself and started over. "I'm not going to lose track of my friends again. So I'm going."

A couple of good-natured snickers echoed through the room, and Queen Minnie giggled behind her hand. Riku ignored them, but Kouichi blushed. Mickey just grinned knowingly.

At that moment, a rumble, too low for any of them to hear but strong enough for them all to feel, echoed through the castle. The shining building rocked on its foundation, or perhaps the entire world was rattled from its core.

"Oooh, now what?" Junpei yelped, grabbing the wall for support.

"Earthquake!" squawked Donald.

"No!" Mickey called, supporting Minnie in his arms. "It's the pulsations from the Cauldron! They're getting stronger!"

The rumbling faded away seconds later, leaving them to pick themselves up. Takuya rolled to his feet and scowled at the ceiling, as though he could see the polluted Cauldron through all the mortar and stone. "You mean, they've made it all the way out here? And they're still that strong?"

"Yes. It means the corruption is getting worse," Mickey said, making sure that Minnie was steady before he headed for the door. "We're running out of time."

**( - )**

Darkness. Light.

Burning, freezing, blowing, rushing. Pushing, pulling, stretching, tearing, bursting, all at the same time. He was screaming, he could not make a sound. He was struggling, he could not fight. He was everywhere and nowhere. He was everything and nothing.

He was in control.

Yes.

Control.

Creation, consumption, chaos and control. He was all of these things, now and always. God. Master. Lord of all things.

He was in control. Everything was his.

Yes.

Everything.

Especially his children.

**( - )**

If the pulsations had been jarring on the surface, they were deafening in the cavernous docking bay. Though still too deep and low to truly hear, the rippling waves of energy rattled their skeletons in their bodies. Izumi moaned and pressed her hands over her ears as another rumble shook the observation deck.

"Oh god," she moaned. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Those vibrations are disrupting the fabric of reality," Mickey explained, though his eyes remained trained on the Gummi Ship. The docking bay's mechanical arms shrieked in protest as Chip and Dale loaded on all of the magical defense gummies that the craft could handle. "It'll only get worse from here on out. That's why the rest of us have to hold back and stabilize a defensive measure, to break the waves before they cause any major damage."

"But you'll be safe, right?" Kouichi asked, wringing his hands around the Staff. "This defense won't hurt any of you, will it? And you'll be able to keep it up?"

Mickey grinned at the teen comfortingly. "As long as you four do your part, the rest of us will be just fine. I guarantee it."

Sora took a deep breath, flexing his fingers in their white gloves. He tried to release all of the tension in his body along with his air, but could not quite expel all of the butterflies. "What are we waiting for, then?"

"Just a few more minutes," Mickey implored, nudging a certain block into place. "The Gummi Ship probably won't make it into the heart of the Cauldron, but I want to give you boys the best chance I can."

Sora opened his mouth to respond, but it was cut short by a hand on his arm. Kairi took the Keyblade master's hand in her own and smiled at him warmly. "Just relax," she soothed. "Everything's going to be all right. We believe in you. All of you."

"Damn straight," Takuya said and thumped Kouji on the back. The unofficial leader of their little group of friends might have looked light-hearted at first glance, but Kouji could see the uncertainty hovering in those auburn-brown eyes.

As though hearing his friend's thoughts, Takuya sighed, rubbed the back of his head and looked to the twins with an awkward expression of concern. "…You know, I really kinda wish I was going with you."

Kouji crossed his arms over his chest. "You don't think we can handle this?"

"Of course you can handle it. That doesn't mean I'm not worried." Takuya scowled, and the expression didn't suit him. "Just be careful out there, okay?"

"Yeah, and watch out for each other," Tomoki added, tugging on Kouichi's arm. "We only just got back together. I don't wanna lose you guys again."

Kouichi gave his younger friend a hug. 'Don't worry. That won't happen, I promise."

"You better keep that," Junpei said. "Hey, either you do or the whole world probably gets destroyed. So you know, no worries."

Izumi knocked him up the side of the head. "Junpei, don't even joke!"

"That's _definitely_ not going to happen," Sora insisted, not quite acknowledging Izumi the same way he didn't quite acknowledge the arm he wrapped around Kairi's shoulder. "There's no way I'll ever let that happen."

Goofy hyuck'ed, a large grin spread over his face. "That's our Sora!"

"Then you better keep that promise, too!" Donald squawked, gesturing violently with his wand. "Or I'm gonna have to hunt you down and blow to Kingdom Come!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

Riku stepped between Sora and the duck with an amused smirk. "That's enough of that. This isn't the time to fight. Not with each other, anyway."

Sora pouted. "But we like fighting!"

"Yeah, we always fight!" Donald added, and Riku laughed.

"I know what that's like," Takuya said, grinning at Kouji. "Ah, good times. We'll have to pick that back up once this is all over."

Kouji smirked. "You're on."

Another bone-shattering rumble radiated through the world, knocking some of their number off-balance. Sora pulled Kairi close and held her against his chest. Everyone else held their breath.

As the rumbling subsided, Mickey turned back to the group with a serious gaze. "It's done."

Sora nodded, giving Kairi – _his_ Kairi – one last squeeze before he stepped away. "Then let's go."

**( - )**

They were coming. Not all of them, but some. He could feel them.

The energy that radiated from his realm – no, from his body, from himself – told him everything. They were coming, his children, his treasures. But only free.

No matter. The rest were bound to follow. It was inevitable.

It was his will.

He was in control.

**( - )**

It was worse than it had seemed from afar. Much, much worse.

Mickey's miniature magical display could never have prepared them for the abject horror that faced them when the Gummi Ship appeared from warp drive. The corrosive vortex dwarfed their tiny ship as though it were an insect. Its putrid composition, a cross between darkness and raw entropy, blended together into an acid-like causality, which ate away at the previously-impenetrable wall of light. At its heart, the raw materials of the universe lay exposed, twisting together in an endless void of belching chaos.

"Woah," said Sora to fill the silence, but the word did nothing to express the cold dread that dripped down the back of his throat like a lump of sludge.

"Belt up," Kouji muttered, swallowing his own fear. "We can't chicken out now."

"It wasn't going to!"

"Not like we'd let you, anyway," Riku smirked from the co-pilot's seat. "You may be driving, but we're all in this together, right?"

"Right," Kouichi agreed, and Sora felt his affirmation was entirely too bright for the situation.

The Keyblade master shrugged and turned back to the controls. He took a long, deep breath through his nose, filling his lungs to capacity and rubbed his gloved hands together. "All right," he said, gripping the wheel with both hands. "Buckle up and hang on tight, we're going in."

The warning was unnecessary, as all four of the teens were already securely strapped into their seats. Sora hesitated just a moment longer, waiting for a violent belch of ice and thunder to pass by before he finally yanked the controls around and dove into the vortex's core.

For the first few seconds of the move, everything was normal. Space moved the same way that space had always moved, which is to say that it didn't move at all, they did. However, the moment they passed through the event horizon, everything changed.

Chaos surround them, spreading in all directions with their poor ship as the central point. Or perhaps they were the on the periphery of it all, being drawn further and deeper into the endless vortex. It was impossible to tell.

All around them, raw elements were being forged and smelt, bursting into existence and violent non-existence. Ice burned, fire froze, earth jerked in all directions and thunder stood perfectly still. Caught in the middle of it all was their tiny, quivering vessel, which rocked and jerked and shirked in protests as its pieces were stretched in all directions.

"Not good, not good, not good!" Sora yelped, yanking at his controls furiously."This place is insane! It's pulling the ship apart!"

Riku growled, barely able to keep his own controls stable. "Just keep together Sora!"

"Over there!" Kouji called, pointing through the windshield at a solid blue surface that hung suspended in the space before them. "Aim for that! Bring her down!"

"Easy for you to say!"

"Look out!" Kouichi shouted, but by that time, the shimmering asteroid of ice had already sliced through the poor ship's left wing.

Now short one wing and one engine, the Gummi Ship tumbled through the elemental chaos. Its passengers were tossed about like the contents of a salad bowl, their straps tearing from their seats. Sora barely had time to shout the terrifyingly obvious, "We're gonna crash!" before the fragile bricks were shattered apart and they were falling, falling…

"**Stopga!"**

In an instant, the falling Gummi Bricks froze in mid-air, clustered together just enough for the passengers to scramble for a hold. They barely had time to realize that they were not, in fact, dead on arrival before Kouichi's voice broke through again. "Jump!"

To make his point clear, the young warrior of darkness dropped through the gaps in the half-destroyed ship and landed on the smooth surface below. Riku, Kouji and finally Sora followed suit, tumbling out of the doomed ship just before Kouichi's spell wore off. Time returned with a vengeance, the remnants of their ship flying apart and crashing into a wall of pure earth in a fiery, sticky mess. The rubbery plastic melted in mid-collision, leaving behind a jumble reminiscent of burnt, melted marshmallows.

The teens stayed crouched on the smooth blue surface – water in a solid form that was somehow not ice – until the last explosion cracked away. Slowly, they rolled to their feet and observed the carnage from a distance.

Riku breathed a sigh of relief and clasped Kouichi's hand. "Nice thinking. You really saved our tails."

Kouichi blushed and shrugged modestly. "I just…acted on instinct."

"Damn good instincts," Sora said appreciatively, bounding to his feet. Kouji rolled to his feet as well, brushing off his clothes and giving his brother a silent smile. The Keyblade Master glanced around. "Everybody okay?"

They were, so they pulled themselves together and took a look at the shifting plane of existence that squirmed around them like a living being. There were a few surfaces of vague stability, like the one on which they currently stood, scattered throughout, but the rest was constantly twisting and changing, never the same from one moment to the next.

"This place is insane," Sora said with a low whistle, giving voice to the one thought flickering through all of their minds. "Which way are we supposed to go?"

"That way."

Riku, Kouji and Sora chorused those two words in with perfect synchronization, accompanied by a ring from Sora's Keyblade, and all pointed in the same direction. Sora blinked in surprised but, finding himself overruled and without a clue, conceded with a shrug. "If you say so."

They set off across the shifting world, hopping from stability to temporary stability. The bizarre solidity of elements that should never be solid – electricity, fire, even air – was disconcerting, but also helpful and a welcome respite. It was the empty spaces in between, where they had to jump and stretch and throw themselves across the empty gaps, that were really dangerous.

Tongues of elemental charge struck from nowhere, taking them by surprise and routinely knocking them off-course. Reflectga, Riku's Shield and the automatic defense of Silver Fang's presence saved their hides from dozens of close calls, and only their own alert reflexes, kept them all from spinning off into the void.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Sora said after one particularly bad brush with a stream of ice, tumbling onto a sheet of pure metal. "This place is like the bad dreams of every body in Wonderland and Halloween Town combined."

Kouji wrinkled his nose a bit as the comparison, gazing out at the swirling void from the very edge of their defensive island. "I can't even tell how far we've gone. Are we even getting close to this place at all?"

"I wonder if it's always like this," Kouichi pondered out loud, leaning on his staff like a tired old man. "Or maybe it's only this horrible because of Myotismon. It's so crazy in here, it's hard to tell."\

"Well, it's a cauldron, right?" Riku interjected, rubbing the remains of a flame encounter off the glassy surface of his Shield. "I bet it's usually blended together, everything melted over a high heat, you know? Myotismon's the only one gunking it all up."

"Not like it matters," Kouji muttered, rolling his eyes as he made his way to the edge of the metal landing. "Who cares why it's happening? We know the bastard's messing with the world, and we need to stop him."

"Sounds good to me," Sora chuckled, leaping easily to a chunk of earth.

Kouichi covered his mouth to hide a few small chuckles, which earned him a strange look from his brother. "I suppose that's all right," he said brightly, jumping after the Keyblade Master. "As long as you both agree."

Riku smirked as well and moved to follow, but in mid-jump, something happened. Riku's face contorted in pain at the apex of his arch and her jerked suddenly to the side as though stumbling in mid-air.

"Riku-kun!" Kouichi shouted, realizing what was happening seconds before the silver-haired boy was spun off-course.

Kouji leapt through the air, his limbs extended like a pouncing wolf and grabbed Riku by the foot. The odd angles spun them both, swinging Kouji over 360 degrees before the gravity of the earthen ground, dragging Riku with him and the two lay there, winded.

Sora and Kouichi rushed over. "You guys okay? Anything broken?"

"Fine," Riku groaned, forcing himself up. "I'm fine."

Kouji snorted, rolling to his feet. He caught Riku's eye and smirked. "Now we're even."

"Bastard."

"Riku-kun," Kouichi said softly, kneeling beside him and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"

Guilt flickered across Riku's features, silver-haired boy shrugged helplessly. "I…I really don't know," he admitted. "It just started to hurt. It was like someone was trying to rip something out of my gut."

Sora tapped his chin, rolling the information over in his mind. "Maybe it's that thing King Mickey was talking about? The two parts of your Heart trying to break apart."

"Maybe."

"Then you should go back," Kouichi said, his brows knotting together worriedly.

"Oh yeah? How?" Riku motioned to the empty void behind them where their previous platforms had disappeared. "We don't even have a ship."

Kouichi conceded the point, but worried his bottom lip with his teeth as he helped Riku back to his feet.

"No way to go but forward," Kouji said with confidence, and they continued on.

After an eternity – or maybe it was only a few moments, this place made it hard to tell – they finally landed on a thick, wide plane of solid darkness that stretched into a cave-like hole of absolutely nothing. The realization of this was more instinctual than visual, as the darkness and void were indistinguishable. Sora and Kouji quickly became disoriented, stumbling across the shadows. Kouichi and Riku felt their way through naturally, guiding their companions with their voices and touch.

"It's just a little further," Kouichi assured. He squeeze Kouji's hand. "Don't worry, we'll be out of this soon."

"How can you even tell?" Sora demanded.

Riku gave his old friend a shove in the proper direction. "Call it a feeling."

"A 'feeling'?"

"Just trust us. We're almost out."

Slowly, the shapeless void around them began to take form. Definition arose from the darkness, illustrated in contrast and gradients of shadow. They found themselves in a short, wide hall with towering vaulted ceilings, standing before a door. It was the same size and ordinate style as the door to Kingdom Hearts, but seemed carved from onyx and obsidian.

"This is it," Kouji muttered, the Sager humming a confirmation in his grip. "He's here. Behind this door."

"Then what're we waiting for?" Sora demanded for the second time that day. He lunged for the handle, but missed, still unable to quite perceive the difference between darkness and shadow given form.

Riku tugged his friend back by his hood before Sora could hit the ground. The silver-haired warrior grasped the doorknob on the first try. On his other side, Kouichi took hold of the handle's partner, subtly guiding his brother, who was unwilling to admit to his blindness. After a moment of fumbling, Sora grabbed on as well.

It took all four of them to wrench the heavy doors open inch by stubborn inch. A pale, sickly light poured from the crack they created the, spilling into the darkness, It was barely a drop compared to the endless plane of shadow behind them, but it was enough to return their sight.

The first thing they saw was that they were surrounded.

In an instant, the formless shadows realigned themselves as Heartless, a twisted army trapped somewhere between their normal existence and the Shadow Realm. Long strips of shadowy skin fell off them like cloth, pealing away to reveal the unique, grotesque creatures within. Thousands of these creatures clustered around the door, and thousands more waiting in the endless shadows, chattering amongst themselves like a flock of every pigeon in the world.

"Shit," Sora swore, and was about to go for his Keyblade when Kouichi's voice broke through:

"Don't move."

Everyone froze. Kouichi kept his voice low and his mouth barely moved as he spoke. "The second any of us let go of the door, they'll attack. All of them."

"How do you know?"

"They're saying so."

Kouji's eyebrows shot to his hairline. "You can understand them?"

"Not me, no," Kouichi said, nodding to the Staff that still buzzed in his hand. "But it can. That's how I know."

Sora whistled. "Creepy."

Riku jabbed an elbow into his old friend's ribs.

Kouji, meanwhile, was watching the Heartless with a hawk-like gaze, tallying their forces. "There's no telling how many there are, but I don't think we could take them all."

"They're too close," Riku agreed. "They'd be on us before we get through the door."

"And follow us. We won't get it closed in time."

"But we can't just stay here!" Sora insisted. "We have to go!"

Kouji hissed between his teeth, gripping the Sager as one over-eager Heartless shuffled closer. Kouichi glanced over at his brother's weapon and noticed how weak it seemed. Its natural light was sickly pale, the green swirls faded into near non-existence, its buzzing vitality reduced to a haunting stillness with only a few meager crackles of energy. Sora's Keyblade was in a similar state, motionless and dull. The endless darkness was muffling their light, suffocating its magic. In this shadow, their power was negligible.

Riku realized this was well, and his eyes met Kouichi's. They came to a conclusion without speaking a single word.

Kouichi shifted, freeing one hand to reach for his brother's shoulder. "Kouji?"

"What's wrong?" Kouji demanded, his tone protective and sharp.

"Nothing, it's just…" Kouichi trialed over, giving his brother's shoulder a squeeze. "Everybody's counting on us, right?""

Kouji glanced at his twin. On the other side of the door, Riku was shifting to place his shoulder against Sora's side. "What's gotten into you, Nii-san?"

"I told you, nothing. Just listen. Everyone's counting on us to get rid of Myotismon, right?"

"Of course."

"Then we can't let this slow you down. You have to keep going and take him out."

Kouji scowled. "You mean we. We have to keep going."

"No, Kouji. You."

With that, Kouichi swept the Staff under Kouji's feet and shoved his shoulder to send him tumbling through the door. In the same moment, Riku slammed all of his weight against Sora, knocking the Keyblade master in as well.

The Heartless leapt at them en masse, but they weren't fast enough. Before Sora and Kouji even hit the ground, Kouichi and Riku slammed their backs against the massive doors, pushing them closed even as they summoned spells to fend the beasts off.

The _click_ of a lock falling into place echoed through the endless darkness.

**( - )**

He was in control.

_**TBC…**_


End file.
